


The Heir and His Knight

by ScarletteFox718



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Angst, Humanstuck, M/M, Tragedy, War, i'm really not sure what to call this, it was just an idea one day, more tags and pairings added as needed, there will be fluff I promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 22:05:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6443650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletteFox718/pseuds/ScarletteFox718
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Egbert is the Heir to a vast kingdom, his power to play the wind giving him a light and carefree personality. Karkat Vantas is a peasant boy who enlists to become a Knight, his power to use his blood only to protect others giving him the coveted position of bodyguard to the young Heir. How will these two react to one another as they are forced to work together with the onslaught of war on their hands?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Heir

**Author's Note:**

> I enrolled in Camp NaNoWriMo which is a month long writing thing for the month of April to get people ready for November when the word goal is 50,000 words. I have set myself a goal of 30,000 words by the end of this month, and I have some pretty solid ideas for this, so expect this to update semi-regularly. :3 Enjoy~ (I also plan to do art for this???? So be on the lookout???) Feel free to check out my tumblr: olli-lolli.tumblr.com

A soft breeze drifted through the Land of Wind and Shade in the country of Prospit, the dulcet tones of a piano spreading through the countryside. A young man sat by an open window in a grand palace. In front of him stood an ebony grand piano, his fingers tickling the ivory and ebony keys. His black hair shifted as the breeze flew around him, a peaceful smile on his face as his body moved with the music. A foot clad in a yellow shoe pressed down on the right pedal, making the music linger and echo as his hands glided over the keyboard. His pale skin warmed in the light sunlight as it entered the window.

Two figures stood by the elaborately carved door on the other side of the room; one a middle-aged man, looking on with a proud smile on his own pale face and the other an older woman, standing regally with an equally proud look as they both watched the young man play. Each bore crowns upon their heads, the woman's slightly larger than the man's, contrasting nicely against her silver hair with its golden make. As the young man at the piano finished his etude, the last of the notes fades into the wind, and the two adults at the door gave him soft claps. Not having expected anyone to be listening, crystalline blue eyes slid open in surprise before sparkling in delight.

"Nanna! Dad! I thought you two were busy?" The young man jumped up, running over to his grandmother and father, giving them both big hugs which were returned in kind.

"We finished a little early, John, so we figured we'd stop by to listen to you play. It's always so nice to hear your music drifting through the skies on days like today. It brings peace to us all," stated Nanna, otherwise known as Jane Crocker, Queen of Prospit. She ruled alongside her husband, Jake English. John had always thought it strange that the two never took the other's last name but never questioned his Nanna; she seemed content, so who was he to complain about that?

"Yes, everything finished early due to Mother here putting her foot down on several new laws being proposed by the power-hungry. There was not much room for argument, you know how she gets," John's dad, otherwise known as Jaye, laughed, his own blue eyes sparkling in mirth. After being playfully smacked by Jane, he turned to his son. "I am so proud of how far you've come in your piano playing, Son. You truly are learning to play the Wind for us." Jaye gave John another hug to prove his point, the young pianist pushing him away jokingly.

"Ack! God, Dad! Get off of me! I don't want your gross old-man cooties!" he cried out, causing them all to let off chuckles at the behavior. Eventually, he let his father hug him. As he pulled away, however, the blacket was quickly tackled by another force, sending him to the floor with a familiar weight on top of him.

"Bark!"

"Hey there, Bec! If you're home, then Grandpa and Jade must be back, too!"

"John, you're doing it again," stated Nanna with an amused tone. John looked down to see himself floating about a foot in the air in excitement. The black-haired boy let out an embarrassed chuckle and turned himself in the air quickly before landing himself on the ground again, dispersing the wind that lifted him in his eagerness.

"Sorry, Nanna. You know it happens when I get excited," he said sheepishly, a very light pink dusting his cheeks at her and his father's looks of bemusement. Before anyone else could say anything, the large white dog named Bec barked again and ran out the door, claws clacking on the marble flooring of the palace. Even though he'd just been reprimanded, John found himself calling on the wind to propel him out of the music room toward the front, following the fluffy canine to his owner. He vaguely heard his grandmother call out for him to stop doing that, but the blood rushing in his ears distracted him. A wide smile spread across his face as he saw the dog run circles around a young woman about his age with long black hair and circular glasses as opposed to his square frames.

"Bec, where'd you get off to?"

"Jade!" John called out as he flew closer to his sister who'd just returned from an excursion with their grandfather. The blackette turned abruptly, initially startled but quickly opening her arms to catch her brother as he flew right into them. He grabbed her around the waist and had the wind lift them both and twirl them, both young adults laughing as the breeze tickled them through their clothing. Finally, John set Jade down and turned to his grandpa.

"Hi, Grandpa! How was the trip?" The older man with silver hair and mustache along with square frames of his own opened his arms and swept his grandson up in a massive bear-hug, laughing loudly.

"It was wonderful, my boy! Splendid, indeed! We saw many a creature, traversed several dangerous rivers, and made friends with quite a good deal of new villages. I believe we may have found a new crop of aspect wielders!" the man boasted with over-exaggerated gestures. Jade nodded along emphatically.

"Yeah, John! It was amazing! I really wish you could have come. Maybe next time we can figure out a signal for you to send to me so I can transport you to us and then back when you can't stand being in your classes anymore," she giggled, her bright green eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Sounds like a plan to me," John agreed with a wide grin, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. "Seriously though, you might have met new aspect wielders? What were they like? Will they be coming here to train?" The idea that there were more people out there in their kingdom that had the ability to control and use the aspect they had an affinity for made the young man's heart race. Maybe he could make more friends! He wasn't really allowed to be friends with anyone who couldn't wield seeing as they wouldn't be able to properly protect him if anything should happen. He was the Heir of Prospit after all.

Jade grabbed his hands and jumped around with him, giggling loudly. "They were amazing! You know how the younger a person is, the more likely they are to have accidental outbursts? We saw a few and talked to their families. There was a Mind wielder, another Breath wielder, two Doom wielders, and a Light wielder. We also heard rumors that a Blood wielder was here in Prospit somewhere," she said, suddenly growing serious at the end.

"A... a Blood wielder? Those are so rare. Are you sure? Is there any way to verify those rumors?" John asked, stunned, Grandpa Jake standing next to Jade.

"We did hear those rumors, John. I'm sure there are ways to tell the validity, but there is a possibility. There is Hope, is there not?" Blood wielders were extremely rare, only being born once every twenty or so years and held a massive amount of power. They were perfect negotiating tools due to their ability to not only wield theirs or someone else's blood to protect or attack, but also their abilities to bring people together in bonds that spanned across countries, kingdoms even. The last Blood wielder to be born showed signs of it at a young age and was assassinated because somehow _they_ found out and sent a hit-man.

"There really is, Grandpa... We might win this war yet! Peace might happen before your time ends!" he exclaimed, hope lacing his voice as he contemplated the elder man's words. His sister smiled at him and patted her leg to get Bec to go over to her.

"Maybe, John. Maybe. But for now, I must go see your father and grandmother to tell them the splendid news. It sure is good to be home again, John. I've missed you terribly, and Jade has as well. You two have fun!" The elder man waved to his grandchildren and walked off toward the throne room where he assumed his wife and son were. Meanwhile, Jade grabbed John again, Bec standing at her side, tongue hanging out in a pant and tail wagging happily.

"Let's go to Frost and Frogs for a little to our hide-out. I'm sure you could use the change of scenery, and I'm overheating here." At his nod, the girl put a hand on Bec's furry head and kept her other hand in her brother's. The three were surrounded in a bright green and white glow as they disappeared from the foyer of the palace, reappearing in a snow bank just outside a cavern with ancient carvings.

Frost and Frogs was another land in the country of Prospit. This land was mostly cloudy and snowy as opposed to Wind and Shade where the sun was out almost every day. The weather varied in temperature, yes, but Wind and Shade never got snow. Frost and Frogs was also a mostly barren land whereas Wind and Shade had more than enough foliage to help the breeze stay cool and cool off the citizens.

"Come on, John! I want to tell you all about the trip! Not to mention, we can speak with Echidna about the Blood wielder. She's sure to know something about it." The young woman pulled on John's hand, all but dragging him through the snow as Bec bounded around trying to bite at the falling snowflakes and chasing frogs.

"Alright, alright, Jade. No need to pull my arm off!" he laughed, pushing through the cold snow in his blue pants, yellow shoes, and short-sleeved blue polo. Jade had on her trademark grey skirt with a long-sleeved black shirt accompanied by her red shoes and striped tights, so she was already warmer than John, but he didn't mind. All he had to do was summon a warmer wind from the south to encompass him if he got too cold.

The blackette led the Breath wielder through the cavern, them passing by all the ancient hieroglyphs depicting a timeless creature that resided in the space of the center of a dormant volcano in the center of the land. There were crystalline structures and small rivers and pools of lava the further in they got.

Finally, the two reached the center of the dormant volcano, Jade stepping forward and glowing green.

"Echidna, Mother of Monsters, Gaia Queen, I wish to speak with you," she called out into the empty lake of molten lava. The lava soon glowed white and purple as a figure appeared in the middle. It was a giant snake-like monster with two opalescent purple-blue tails, spikes on its back and the torso of a woman. She opened her eyes to lock onto the young woman's.

"Jade," she spoke, voice echoing loudly through the volcano, "what a pleasant meeting. You are here for a purpose, are you not?" John always stayed out of this part, not being particularly interested in pissing off the Mother of Monsters by saying something stupid. Jade, on the other hand, thrived on this. She understood this creature like no other.

"I am, Echidna. I wish to speak with you about the rumor of a Blood wielder residing in Prospit. Do you, with your infinite wisdom and space travel, know of the validity of this commoner gossip?" The young heiress stood with her back rigid but had a calm look on her face. She approached Echidna with a completely open body posture to signify she meant no harm. The monster looked her over, picked her up to smell her, and gently set her back down before deciding to answer.

"They are true. You have already encountered him in your travels, but you will not have to retrieve him. He will come to you and will prove to be pivotal in the future of this kingdom though it may not seem like it at first. He is every bit as powerful as the one who went by the name 'Signless.'" The name struck a cord in both young adults, blue meeting green in concern and shock.

"Like, _THE_ Signless? As in, the one who was almost able to merge both kingdoms together and establish peace?" Jade asked in disbelief. Echidna simply nodded.

"Befriend him, young ones, though it will be difficult. That is all I can say on the matter. The rest you must figure out on your own. I wish you a safe journey home.” With that, the creature faded out of existence, never really having been there in the first place. John met Jade's eyes. The Blood wielder was real.

And he was here in Prospit.

Maybe this would finally be the year the war ended for good. It was getting ridiculous and honestly, John had no idea what they were even fighting over anymore.


	2. New Wielders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new group of aspect wielders is brought to Wind and Shade to begin their training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS SO LONG!!! But I wanted to be able to put in some more exposition and characters that will be necessary later, soooo yeah! Enjoy!

Around a week later, John found himself in his royal attire; a bright yellow tunic with intricate beading and lacework, yellow pants, a small golden cape, violet shoes, and a small crown atop his black locks. In front of him stood five young men and women, and to the side stood his father, Nanna, Grandpa, and Jade.

"Welcome, Young Ones! I'm sure you know you are in the capital land of Wind and Shade. You are here because of your affinity to wield various aspects. Here, you will receive formal training in your specific aspect as well as general military training. You will be taken care of by us from this point on, your families being compensated for your service with us. Is that agreeable to everyone?" King Jake presented his welcoming speech to the newcomers, welcoming them to the capital and letting them know what to expect with their time there. The five stared at him a little in disbelief. However, one with long blonde hair and glasses stepped forward with a smirk.

"Of course, Your Majesty. I, for one, am honored to have been discovered and have the chance to be here. I'm already quite skilled with my aspect, so I look forward to what could possibly be taught to me," she proclaimed with confidence. John found himself drawn to her natural charisma. This was a woman who knew who she was and the power she held, not to mention she seemed to know just how to use it, too. Although, her confidence seemed to be a little off-putting to a couple of the others, one almost shrinking into himself in fear.

"Very good, Miss Serket, correct?" At her nod, Jake continued. "We will challenge you extensively then. Trust me, you do not know nearly as much as you believe you do," stated the king with a jovial laugh at the end. "If we are all in understanding, John and Jade will show you to the training area and run you all through a few basic drills and then get all of you set up in your respective rooms. Dismissed." The king stood back as John and Jade moved forward, down the stairs, to the new recruits.

"Hi, everyone! I'm Jade, and this is John. We'll be your guides and coaches some of the time. You'll get used to seeing us around here," started the perkier of the siblings, giving all of them a beaming smile, her bright green eyes full of excitement.

"Now, if you'll all follow us, we'll first take you to the clothing area to get you training outfits. Everyone is to change into them before we can move on to the training arena. Keep close and memorize this path. You'll be walking it a lot." The Heir also flashed them all a bright smile, eyes lighting up in anticipation of making friends. He turned on a purple heel and led the group away from the throne room and down a set of hallways. At first, the group was quiet, but the further into the palace they moved, the chattier they became, whispering amongst themselves about the intricacies of the details.

Eventually, John and Jade led them all outside, a large building standing in front of them. The two siblings turned to the group, stopping them in their tracks.

"Alright! This is the combat building. This is where all of the military training will take place. Your aspect training will be all over the place depending on what you wield. Obviously, a single, simple building won't suffice for proper training in all twelve aspects, so we allow the instructors the freedom of location. Be sure to pay attention to them since it's very likely the locale will change every day," explained John, voice taking on a serious tone. He hated being the ambassador, but at the same time, he knew he needed to. Plus, it gave him a chance to gauge their reactions to authority. So far, everyone seemed to be listening well enough. The Heir didn't think he'd have a hard time with this group.

"Right inside and to the right is the ladies' changing room. The men's is to the left. Please separate out as soon as we enter, tell the attendant what size clothing you wear, and change into what they give you. Meet us back in the lobby in ten minutes. Understand?" commanded Jade. Green eyes sweeping to check for affirmation, she then turned around and led the way into the combat building. Once inside, she called out for the girls to follow her and the boys to follow John. The siblings waved to each other before separating.

The changing room was massive. It held row upon row of cabinets and closets, wooden and metal in structure. There were numbers on each to differentiate whose was whose. Along one entire wall was a communal shower and toilet area for cleaning off sweat and grime after training all day. The three newcomers' jaws all dropped at the size of the room they were in, never having been in a space like that.

"Come on, guys. Get your first set of training outfits and change. I'll be down toward the end changing as well." The young man waved to the others and walked to the door on the opposite side of the room, turning left to a set of cabinets, stopping in front of the one with the number '413' on it. He pulled out his dull blue training outfit and started removing his formal attire, storing it in the cabinet and donning the simpler clothing. His purple shoes were traded for his worn yellow ones, and he grabbed out his training gloves.

When he had finished, John grabbed the contact case he always kept stored and walked to the toilet portion to put in his contacts; training with glasses got really annoying when said glasses kept breaking. After he finished getting himself ready, he noticed the others finishing up changing as well, all having managed to find cabinets close to one another.

"Alright, guys. If you're all finished, follow me." The group followed the blacket out of the changing area into an Olympic level gym filled with weight training set ups, sparring areas, jousting and sword fighting areas, and more. The three newcomers' eyes widened in wonder and slight intimidation as they followed John to a small-ish sparring area with about five dummies set up. Jade was already there with the two females.

"Jeez, John. And you complain that girls take too long," she joked with her brother who laughed in turn.

"Hey, I'm here in the time we gave. I was ready. They still had a little to figure out," he said, pointing a thumb in the direction of his charges. He then turned to face them all. "Now, before we get too far, we'll go ahead and do introductions and get those out of the way. Remember the names stated here because you'll be seeing a lot of each other, and it would suck to be stuck with someone whose name you never caught. We'll start with you," John said, pointing to a tall-ish girl with medium length red hair, red square glasses, and a slew of freckles that really reminded him of their resident Seer. She flashed everyone a smile.

"Yo! The name's Latula Pyrope. I just recently came into my affinity for Mind, my sister having been picked up quite a while ago. Guess it runs in the family, doesn't it?" she questioned with a laugh and a big show of teeth.

"Is your sister Terezi?!" cried out Jade, her own mouth wide in excitement.

"Sure is. Heard she's a big shot here. I can't wait to see her again, honestly." Latula gave a sheepish look as she talked about her little sister who'd really made a name for herself.

"You'll see her soon enough. She's so creepy about knowing things that will happen, so you'll see her when the time is right. Alright, next will be... you." The blacket pointed to one of the males with a brown faux-hawk (the sides were shaved short, but still there). He had a really nervous expression on his face as he looked around. He even jolted when the Heir pointed at him.

"My name is... uh... Tavros Nitram. I'm a Breath wielder." That was all he got out, a bright red blush coating his cheeks, not liking being the center of attention.

"Hell yes! Breath wielders are awesome!" exclaimed John, trying to help ease Tavros a bit, going so far as to summon some wind to lift him over to the brunet, doing about two to three circles around him. Brown eyes followed him in amazement until he touched back down.

"That... uh... was so cool! Will I be able to learn how to do that?" His brown eyes were wide in starry-eyed wonder. The Heir smiled widely.

"Of course! You'll learn to do a lot with your aspect. And we'll work on that confidence of yours, too. After all, a great Breath wielder must have confidence in themselves in order to properly handle this aspect." The blue-eyed man turned to the others and randomly pointed to a boy with really shaggy blond hair that seemed to get in his eyes. "You, there! What's your name and aspect?" The blond began to grin, letting out a sharp laugh.

"I'm Mituna Captor! And we are all DOOMED!" he cackled loudly with a pronounced lisp as the other blond boy punched him in the shoulder.

"Calm down, you asshole. Now is not the time to go off the spaz-handle. Jesus... this is why Dad wanted me to keep an eye on you." He scoffed and cuffed the other upside the head, only causing more laughter. The calmer one with shorter blond hair and weird red and blue glasses turned to his instructors. "I'm sorry about him. I'm his younger twin brother, Sollux Captor. Both of us wield the Doom aspect, so you can imagine what sort of shit goes down in our minds. Mituna's basically already done a fucking pirouette off the handle into insanity, but he can still handle Doom pretty well. I'm the one that gave us away by saving you, Madam Harley, since I heard your voice in my head before that rockslide happened. That's how I use mine. I have no fucking clue how Mituna actually uses his, just that he always seems to know where to be and when to prevent someone from dying." The lisp was prominent from the younger brother as well as he explained their situation.

"Thank you so much for that, by the way. I never got to properly thank you for it." Sollux waved it off in disinterest.

"Don't mention it. I figure, why let people die if I can prevent it? I'm here after all, aren't I?" he said with a shrug, like he really didn't care that he was there. Jade gave him a smile regardless and turned to the last member of the group; the blonde female who'd spoken out of turn to their Grandpa. Her blue eyes were hard with confidence, and a smirk graced her face. She flipped a couple stray strands of hair over her shoulder.

"I'm Vriska Serket, wielder of Light. I already know a lot about my aspect and how to wield it, so I'm really not sure what you can teach me about it, but we'll see." She winked at John after she said that, which caused the young man to blush lightly. He had to admit, the girl was attractive and he'd really not had a chance to go out much, but he wasn't sure about her attitude. She seemed cocky to a fault, and that wouldn't do in the military.

"All of the training here is the best you'll ever receive, Miss Serket. There's plenty to learn, even if it's just new ways to utilize what you already know, new strategies, and new depths to your power," Jade explained in a patient voice and a smile on her face. However, John noticed her green eyes hardened a little; his sister did not like Vriska Serket. He had a bad feeling they were going to butt heads. Good thing she was a Light wielder and Jade was Space. They'd only have to deal with one another in military training.

"I look forward to it then, Miss Harley," she mocked. John, sensing a little bit of tension rising, stepped forward.

"Alright! Now that introductions are done, let's start with the bare basics of military training. We always start our sessions by stretching. Eventually, you'll have muscle memory on fighting techniques and are much less likely to strain something, but for the time being, you'll stretch." With that, the Heir and his sister led the group in a series of warm-ups before directing them to the track that surrounded the inner sparring sites. "Give me a lap of jogging or walking, whatever you can manage. Go, go, go!" he shouted with enthusiasm.

The group of five jogged to the track and began making their way around, Tavros and Sollux having to stop multiple times to catch their breaths and get themselves ready to jog again. Latula had to slow down to a walk once about half-way around the massive track. Vriska and Mituna, on the other hand, stunned both Jade and John with their energy and their ability to jog the entire track without stopping once. Vriska came back a little out of breath with Mituna chuckling to himself and bouncing in place as he awaited his brother to finish. After another 10 minutes, the entire group had finished the track, both Sollux and Tavros heaving and Latula panting quite heavily.

"Drink break, guys. There are fountains toward the changing rooms. Those are the closest ones. Make sure not to drink too much or you'll puke later." John couldn't help chuckling at how cheery his sister's voice was at the prospect of the newbies throwing up. It's not like she couldn't transport it away if it happened, but still. He found it entertaining, to say the least. In the time he'd laughed to himself, the group had reformed looking a little better now that they were all hydrated.

"That was soooooooo easy, Mister Egbert. Got anything harder for us?" asked Vriska, tying her hair back into a ponytail, strands falling out around her face. The young man's face reddened just a little, and he cleared his throat.

"It wasn't meant to be terribly hard, Miss Serket. It was a warm-up that you'll be doing until all of you can accomplish it in one try. Now, however, we'll be moving on to the basics of hand-to-hand combat. No weaponry training yet. You have to learn how to attack and defend in the case you lose your weapon in the heat of battle," he started off, taking on a very serious, professional voice. "Follow me to the dummies." The group did as they were told.

"Now, this is the most basic position to start off in for hand-to-hand," he explained as he showed them; his knees were bent with one foot in front of the other, one arm bent and tucked in at his side with a fist balled, the other extended and crossed a little in front of him. "You want your feet about shoulder-width apart for stability. One arm is tucked in to throw a punch. The other is extended so you can defend at a moment's notice. Like this," stated the blacket, bringing the extended arm back and guarding his face. Then, he stood and faced them all. "You try it, and Jade and I will come around and fix your stance."

Now, both John and Jade knew that at least a couple of the group would get the stance almost immediately and be bored while the rest caught up. It was inevitable. However, the way they ran their training sessions was equality for everyone. It didn't matter at what pace every individual learned; they'd all have to wait for the last of the group to catch up before John and Jade would move on. It just made sense to make sure everyone understood before covering the next topic. It also helped the ones that didn't learn as quickly be able to have some sort of confidence in themselves that they were allowed the chance to learn.

Not to mention the fact that they were training soldiers that weren't necessarily given an option of not fighting. They didn't have to know that right then, though. The two siblings hated their grandparents' rules, but in light of the war with Derse, every able-bodied wielder was required to be brought to the capital and trained in their aspect as well as normal military training.

"Tavros, your legs are a little too far apart. Bring your front foot back a little and place your weight equally between the two. Yes! Like that. Perfect. Now... Keep that arm tucked in a little tighter, and we'll move your other like... this... There. That is the proper stance. Feel it. Memorize it. Get it into your muscle-memory. Relax. And.... stance," John coached the other Breath wielder. The second time went much better for the brunet, only requiring a couple fixings.

"Wow. I've never picked anything up so quickly! You're a great teacher, Mister Egbert!" he exclaimed, his excitement finally showing through. The Heir chuckled and placed a hand on Tavros' shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, buddy. And please, call me John. Mister Egbert is my dad. I used to not be able to learn quickly at all, so I have a better idea how to help those that may have trouble. Guiding them is the best way and having them stay in the stance to commit it to memory is even better. Take your stance. See! You've got it! And I only had to fix things a couple times! You're doing super well," he said with a bright smile, it being contagious enough that the other Breath wielder grinned shyly in return.

On the other side, Jade was helping out Latula and Mituna, who seemed to get along extremely well. Once the ginger had it down, she helped the blacket coach the blond into the correct positioning. Within a few tries, he also had it down perfectly.

John approached Vriska while Jade moved to help Sollux. Blue eyes took in her stance, not spotting a single opening. It was flawless, and she'd been keeping it since they started.

"So, John. How is this?" she asked with a smirk. Said boy raised a brow at her cockiness.

"Well, you might want to try redistributing your weight because I can do this," he started as he noticed her weight was a little more toward the front than evenly distributed. The young man marched right up to her and shoved her chest slightly, causing her to stumble back and break form with a gasp.

"Dammit! I thought I had it," she swore, getting right back into stance, making sure she was balanced evenly.

"Much better, Miss Serket. See." He pushed her again, but that time the blonde stayed put. The Light wielder gave a triumphant smile as John straightened and backed up. "Good job." He turned to his sister who had just finished helping out Sollux who'd gone into a perfect stance. "You good over there?"

"Yup! Just finished. You?" the Space wielder answered, transporting herself over to him just to show off since John had earlier. The Heir nodded, and they turned to the group again. "You've all done really well with that. Now it's time to learn how to properly punch. I'll teach you that," she stated with a big grin. John stepped back and let his sister handle that portion of the lesson. His blue eyes kept straying to similarly blue ones throughout the rest of the session as they taught the group how to punch, kick, and defend at the most basic level.

After about four hours of grueling training, all five of the new wielders looked ready to collapse. The siblings looked at each other and nodded, deciding it was time to finish up.

"Great job today, guys! You did amazingly well," exclaimed Jade, clapping for all of them. John joined in with a big smile.

"That was an extremely productive session. I'm very impressed by you all!" praised the Heir. "I'm sure all of you are exhausted, though. So head back to the changing rooms, shower, and change back into your other clothes. Meet us out front when you're done, and we'll divide you up to take you to your rooms." He shooed them toward the changing rooms, watching them go. Once they were out of hearing range, Jade turned to her brother.

"I'd recommend against dating Vriska."

"Wait, what? Where did that-"

"Oh please, John. I saw how you were looking at her during training. She seems like bad news to me. I don't like her attitude," admitted Jade. The blue-eyed boy just sighed and allowed himself to float in the air a little.

"She seems like a hard-ass, but I feel like there's more to her. Her eyes hold such depth." He really couldn't get her darker blue eyes out of his head. Nor the golden sheen of her blonde hair.

"Mission control to John! Helloooo. Your sister is talking to you." The green-eyed girl waved a hand in front of his face, jolting him out of his reverie. He gave her a sheepish look with a light blush on his cheeks. She just rolled her eyes. "Seriously, John. I know you've never dated, but I wouldn't start with her. I just have a really bad feeling about it, ok?"

"I'd like to think I can make decent decisions on my own, Jade. I appreciate the concern, but I'm an adult now. I've been sequestered away too long. I want to experiment." He twisted around to float on his stomach at eye-level with his sister who frowned at him.

"Fine, but when she turns out to be a huge bitch, don't come crying to me about it." Then the girl turned on her heel and walked toward the changing rooms so that she could shower and put on her normal clothes. John just hung in the air for a little while, the breeze in the training facility seemingly comforting him in his upset. He and Jade rarely fought, and when they did, she was normally right. He'd prove her wrong this time! ...Maybe. If he actually decided to date Vriska. He'd have to get to know her better first.

With another sigh, the boy drifted off to the changing rooms, riding the wind inside and to the showers, stripping and stepping into a warm spray. He noticed that the other three had just finished, so he hurried up a little more and cleaned away all the sweat that had accumulated (read: none) and washed his hair. When he finished, he blow dried himself with a controlled gust of wind and walked over to his cabinet. He pulled out a different pair of blue pants along with a black shirt and a green jacket, donning a pair of red shoes and grabbing his formal-wear to take back to his own room.

Across the room he could hear the sounds of Sollux and Mituna arguing ("Come on, 'Tuna. Put your goddamn pants on!" Followed by a cackle and a "You'll never put them on me alive!" Then a smaller voice chimed in, "Guys, please calm down..."), and a smile broke out across his face. These new guys were a riot. Maybe he could make friends with them, yet!

Moving away from his area, John walked to the others, catching them just as Sollux managed to get Mituna's pants on him, straddling him to do so and muttering swear words under his breath.

"You guys about ready? Everything ok, Mituna?" he chuckled as he asked. Sollux just turned to him, giving him a tired look.

"He's fine, JE. Just being a little shit is all." The lisp made the blacket chuckle a little more as the blond boys struggled to get up since Mituna seemed to be trying to keep Sollux prisoner. Tavros walked up to him, dressed in a pair of grey pants, a black shirt, and a black over-shirt with brown sandals.

"They seem like good brothers... don't they?" he asked shyly, as if nervous to speak so casually with the Heir to the kingdom. John nodded and met eyes with the other Breath wielder.

"They really do. You did amazing today, by the way. Just keep working hard like that, and you'll be a pro in no time." His words of encouragement made the other boy perk up, happiness sparkling in his brown eyes.

"You really think so? Will I be as good as you someday?"

"Definitely! You have so much potential. You just need a little coaching to realize it." He clapped the other on the shoulder reassuringly. By that time, the two brothers had gotten themselves picked up. "You two ready to go?"

"Yes. Please. Get me out of here and away from him for a little, for the love of the Gods." The calmer of the brothers sounded exasperated from having to deal with his somehow still hyper twin. John let out a small laugh and led the way to the front, going out and finding the girls there before them again.

"Sorry, ladies. There was a mishap in the men's changing room between these two," he said, gesturing to the twins, Sollux looking exhausted and Mituna smiling with his tongue sticking out a little.

"It's fine. I'm sure it was entertaining to witness," giggled Jade. John nodded in response. "Well, now that we're all here, here's how you will be split up. John will take Tavros and Vriska to the north building. That's where all the Breath, Light, and Time wielders reside. I'll take the Captors and Latula to the south building where all the Mind, Doom, and Heart wielders reside. The east building hosts the Space, Void, and Hope wielders. The west building hosts the Life and Rage wielders. It would hold Blood too, but unfortunately, we have yet to come across any Blood wielders," she explained, pointing in the various directions.

"They're really rare, aren't they?" asked Latula.

"We've only ever heard of a couple being born. One of them born before Jade and I were was killed in a battle with Dersites. The other born just before we were was killed in childhood after being found out by Dersites. We've heard rumor that there's one alive right now, but are unsure where they reside," explained the blue-eyed boy. The others looked at them in wonder, not really realizing just how rare Blood wielders were. "But that's neither here nor there right now. Let's get you to your rooms so you can rest a bit before dinner which will be served at 6:30." He offered them all a smile along with his sister. "Now, Vriska and Tavros, please come with me. I'll take you to your rooms."

"And Sollux, Mituna, and Latula follow me!" exclaimed Jade, bouncing a little and walking toward the south building. John began moving toward the north building, the Breath and Light wielders following closely.

"So are Blood wielders really that rare?" questioned Tavros.

"Oooooooobviously, they are. Geez. Don't you listen?" Vriska responded with annoyance.

"There's no need to be rude, Vriska. It's a good question," John started, shutting up the blonde very quickly. "And yes, Tavros, they really are. They are only born ever 20 or so years from the death of the previous. At least, that's the legend passed down in our family. Nanna and Grandpa knew the last one that lived to adulthood and claimed that he was incredibly kind-hearted and wanted peace and equality for everyone, including the Dersites. Unfortunately, in a big battle that was thought to be the end of the war, he was killed by the Queen of Derse. Prospit didn't surrender, obviously, but it was a huge loss. We've been gathering our resources since then because my grandparents believe the key to winning the war is a Blood wielder. Apparently, Derse does too since they found out and assassinated the next one. Luckily, the one currently alive doesn't seem to have a target on their head, so we might stand a chance." The Heir always found the war stories a little boring except for the bit about The Signless. That man had fought so bravely and valiantly for the better of all and was taken too soon. He could only hope for the best with the new Blood wielder.

The explanation took most of the walk to the dorms, but Vriska still decided to question the story.

"So, if they're soooooooo important, how can people not keep tabs on them? Why wait until they're old enough to bring them in and just grab them and raise them here?" she questioned in complete seriousness. The blacket sighed.

"Just because an aspect is rare doesn't always mean it shows up in childhood. Not to mention, they have families, too. People who birthed and wanted them. It wouldn't be fair to steal them away from those people and deny them the chance of knowing a loving family. Being raised in the Palace isn't always a good thing, Miss Serket. People here are very busy, and you learn to keep yourself occupied and loved quite young. I love my family, but I'd rather be with a family that could be with me more than a couple hours a day most days. Jade's the reason I'm even sane at this point. We always had each other." A fond smile graced his face at the memories of him and his sister playing when they didn't have lessons. "So that's why we don't keep tabs on them. They usually know to keep themselves well-hidden anyway. We've only just now heard rumors of a new one, which would make them our age if the legend is true." By that point, John had led the two to the north building, holding the door open for them as they walked in.

"This place is so big, too..." Wonder laced Tavros' voice as he looked around at the carefully crafted foyer and the many hallways that trailed off from it. Vriska looked around, too, trying to keep her face disinterested, but her eyes shone in wonder as well.

"Yeah, well, we house a lot of people here. Now, if you'll follow me down this hallway, we're stopping by Tavros' room first." The Heir led the way down the hallway closest to them on the right, walking down about five doors and stopping by a mahogany one on the left. "Room 10 is yours, Tavros. All your stuff has already been moved in. You are allowed to rearrange as you see fit. It's a single room with a bathroom shared between you and Room 12, so get to know him. Ok? He's a pretty cool guy." John unlocked the door with a key he'd pulled from his pocket and then handed said key over to the brunet boy. "Go on in and relax some before dinner. It'll be served in the dining hall. People meet in the foyer and walk over together about ten minutes prior. So just walk back down this hallway, and you'll be fine." John ruffled the nervous boy's hair.

"Thank you, John. Today was a good day. Will I see you at dinner?" Receiving a nod, the other Breath wielder walked into his room and began gushing about the lavishness of it. That left John with Vriska, the former turning to the latter.

"Alright, Miss Serket. Let's go back this way and down one of the other hallways. Your room is another that's relatively easy to get to, so don't worry about having to memorize a million turns." He started walking back toward the foyer as she answered.

"As if I'd be lame enough to forget any number of turns. Also, don't call me Miss Serket. The name's Vriska. You should call me by name, Joooooooohn." Her voice lilted up at the end as she walked next to him, giving him a side-glance that made his face heat up a little.

"Very well, Vriska. I'll call you by name," he said, finding he really liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. He led her down the third hallway from the door on the left to Room 8. "Here you are, Vriska. This is your room. You'll be sharing with Room 6 a bathroom, so it'd be a good idea to befriend her. I'll leave you to rest some." Once again, he unlocked the door and handed over the key, his hand straying in hers as he handed the metal over; the pale appendage was so soft, almost like silk. For as much as she trained, how did she not have callouses?

"Thank you, John. I look forward to seeing you at dinner. Maybe we can sit together?" she asked, hinting at wanting to be by him. He swallowed a little bigger than normal and responded.

"S-sure. I don't see why not. I'll see you in an hour or so." With that, he left, leaving her to watch after him. He just couldn't stay around her any longer without his face completely over-heating. Was this what it was like having a crush? Having friends that weren't his sister or the weird Seer they'd already picked up?

He liked it and found he was actually looking forward to dinner for once.


	3. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner happens with the group getting to know one another a little more. A prophecy is given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! If you like this story, feel free to comment to let me know or give constructive criticism!

Dinner came with the King and Queen sitting at the head table with their son. However, John and Jade sat amongst the trainees in the hall; Jade sitting next to Latula and her sister, Terezi, and John sitting beside Vriska and Tavros. Mituna and Sollux sat nearby but argued almost the entire time. The blue-eyed boy found himself nervous to strike up conversation for once. On one side was a young Breath wielder who really seemed to look up to him - he didn't want to disappoint Tavros. And on the other side sat Vriska, her beautiful golden hair cascading down her back, her dark blue eyes shining with - snap out of it John! It was almost as if Jade read his mind, snapping her fingers in front of her brother's face.  
  
"John! Nanna and Grandpa are saying the prayer. Pay attention!" she whispered harshly while the elder couple at the head of the room spoke in unison the prayer of Prospit for the bountiful meal and good company. The young man quickly bowed his head and grabbed hands with Tavros and Vriska as the prayer finished.  
  
"Now that our thanks have been given, you may all eat!" called out Jane, signifying the beginning of dinner. Everyone immediately began grabbing for food, filling their plates, sipping from their cups. Breakfast and Lunch weren't big events in the palace. Breakfast was communal, and Lunch was quick due to training schedules. Dinner, however, was the end of the day. Everything was already done. The soldiers in training needed to get enough nutrients in them to replenish what was lost during the day, so it was always a big deal with a lot of food available.  
  
John took a chicken leg, a piece of pork, some green beans, and mashed potatoes. The others followed suit, grabbing food like their lives depended on it. At least, Tavros, Sollux, and Mituna did. The Heir looked at all of them curiously.  
  
"The food isn't going away, guys. You can eat as much as you want every night, but don't over-do it," explained Jade as she noticed it, too. The others stared at her in wonder.  
  
"Really?" inquired Tavros with a soft voice. Both Jade and John nodded. "I've never seen this much food in my life. Sand and Zephyr is kind of a poor land," he explained, almost ashamed. Sollux spoke up next.  
  
"Yeah. Brains and Fire isn't exactly the most prosperous land either. We sometimes went a couple days without really eating well at all. Not for Dad's lack of trying." Everything was really starting to make sense to the Heir now. That was why Nanna insisted on paying the families of the wielders able to come to the palace to train. A lot of them weren't well off at all. This was the most luxury they'd ever seen in their lives. Suddenly, John felt bad for having lived like this his entire life.  
  
"Don't worry about it, John. You haven't seen the world outside of here. There's no way you could have known," comforted his sister, placing her hand on his that had frozen mid-spoonful of potatoes. Vriska made a little _'tch'_ and looked at him with a raised brow.  
  
"You mean, you've _never_ been outside of the palace before?" she asked in disbelief. Placing the food in his mouth, the blacket felt his face get a little hot as he chewed the thick, salty food. When he swallowed, he answered her.  
  
"No, I haven't. Not for lack of wanting to or trying. Nanna and Grandpa don't want me out and about right now since I don't have a bodyguard. I'm too vulnerable, they say," he scoffed, feeling himself get fed up with his grandparents again for their desire for his safety. The young man angrily shoved green beans in his mouth while his sister sighed and shook her head.  
  
"John, remember. I'm going to try to get you out with us on the next exploit, alright? I can transport you if need be." The green-eyed girl continued eating her food as well while Vriska stared at John.  
  
"Or I could be your bodyguard for a couple days. Give it a test run, get to know you more, show that I know what I'm doing. And, your Grandpa could keep an eye out, too, you know," she offered, pointing her spoon at the man next to her, talking as if she knew exactly what she was doing. He looked taken aback, mouth hanging open a little. Jade, however, narrowed her eyes and frowned. Before she could speak, Terezi, a medium-height red-head who was blind let herself take the spotlight.  
  
"That would be a very bad idea. John's not supposed to go out yet. Not according to the Gods. He needs to wait for his bodyguard to be found. It will happen soon, but they won't say when," she stated with a mysterious, knowing tone. "You will not get that coveted position, Vriska. You are far too selfish to be the right one for that job." The blonde being talked to looked like she'd just been slapped.  
  
"Excuse me, bitch? What did you just say?"  
  
"Vriska! Calm down, ok? Terezi is just like that. She likes joking around with people, don't you, 'Rezi? " John hastened to curb the possible fight from happening. Vriska still sat tense with an angry expression on her face directed toward the blind girl. Terezi merely kept a blank face.  
  
"I do joke a lot, but in this case, I'm not kidding." She turned to the blonde. "You'd better watch your surroundings or you'll be put in your place one day by someone you least expect." That statement made the entire group feel a chill except the girl being talked to.  
  
"How about you shut your talk-hole, alright? I'm not selfish, nor will I 'be put in my place' or whatever you said. Just don't talk to me ever again, alright?" It was obvious that what the Seer had told her was affecting Vriska. John placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a nice squeeze. The girl started settling down a little more and went back to eating her food, grumbling under her breath.  
  
"It's ok, Vriska. Terezi doesn't get along with everyone. To be honest, I'm not that fond of her either," he whispered to the blonde. "She weirds me out." He gave her a smile while she snorted a little into her food.  
  
"Really, John? _She_ weirds _you_ out? How so?" she asked with a small smirk. Continuing to munch on her chicken, the two began conversing about an array of things that started with John being wary of Terezi due to her accurate predictions and her crazy personality. They talked about their favorite colors (both being variants of blue), favorite foods (John's was candies while Vriska's was meat), if they didn't live in that sort of a world, what would their aspirations be (John wants to just be a musician, and Vriska wants to be a hit-woman). The two laughed a lot and chatted like they were old friends, making dinner go by really fast.  
  
"Oh come oooooooon. It isn't that bad. Being a hit-woman would be awesome! I'd get paid a lot of money to take down badies," she said with conviction before taking a sip of her water. John just shook his head.  
  
"But you'd still be killing people. That's still a bad thing, Vriska. Even if they are bad to begin with," he countered, crossing his arms on the table and looking over at her. Gods she was beautiful. And she was so animated when she talked, it was amazing. All too soon, people started filing out of the dining hall, heading back to their rooms to get a good nights' sleep or to relax for a while before lights out. John sighed when he saw that, stopping Vriska mid-sentence.  
  
"And I'd be making -"  
  
"I'm sorry, Vriska, but dinner is over. It's time to start heading back to buildings and rooms to prepare for sleep," he said dejectedly. "We can talk more tomorrow in between your lessons, though! Your schedule will be on your bed when you go back into your room. And again, groups will meet in the lobby of your building to go to Breakfast and the first set of training." The blue-eyed girl looked slightly crestfallen at the notion of not being able to spend more time with John that evening, but stood up nonetheless.  
  
"Fine. I guess we can talk more tomorrow. At Breakfast?" she inquired with a little bit of hope. The Heir shook his head.  
  
"Sorry. I eat Breakfast with my family. Dinner is the big event for everyone. I'll be at Lunch, though, and then, I'll still be your instructor for a few more days in military training. So it's not so bad. Plus, you must be sick of me by now," he laughed, hoping she didn't actually agree with that.  
  
"Me? Get sick of you? Nah. I'd never get sick of you. You're a pretty nice guy, John. I'll see you in the afternoon, then. Right?" John just nodded in response to her question, his face heating up a little as he waved good-bye to her, watching her walk off to the people in her building. As he did that, Terezi walked up beside him and cleared her throat. He jumped about a foot in the air and whirled around.  
  
"Jesus shit, Terezi! Is it necessary to scare the fuck out of me every time you need to tell me something?" he all but yelled at the blind Seer who merely grinned and cackled a little before speaking in her token raspy voice.  
  
"Of course. What's the fun in alerting you to my presence before I am there? It's all in your head, John. I'm a Mind wielder. You know this," she laughed.  
  
"Oh ha ha. Very funny. Now, what do you need, you crazy girl?" He wasn't about to take her shit that day. Not when he was already in a good mood due to Vriska.  
  
"It's about Vriska, John. Don't trust her. Don't get close to her. She won't be your bodyguard nor your lover like you want her to be. She can't be. Eventually, you will see just how selfish and brutish she really is and will take a stand against it." Her voice was entirely serious as a blank stare took over her face, indicating she was telling the future at the rate things were going. John found himself frowning.  
  
"Well, I'm not going to just stop talking to her. I like her, Terezi. I, at least, want to see where it may go."  
  
"That's fine, but I'm telling you it won't work." Just as she was about to turn away, the ginger stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes taking on an eerie red glow as he body relaxed entirely.  
  
 _"The Heir will bring people of warring nations together but only if he truly learns how to play the Wind. The Knight will act as his shield and pillar during this time, but only if he can learn the protective properties of Blood."_  
  
Her voice echoed in the dining hall, the last few people remaining turning to stare at the resident Seer and oracle for the royal family. Jane, Jake, and Jaye ran over to catch the prophecy that formed in her raising hands as she presented it. The teal crystal ball held inside of it the words of the prophecy as Terezi collapsed into John's arms. The royal family stared at her as she came back to normal consciousness, each trying to make out the meaning of the words.  
  
"I think it's time Jade and I go out again to really search for the Blood wielder and possibly pick up more normal soldiers. I have a feeling the war will end soon, and we'd best be prepared," stated Jake, stroking his beard. Jane nodded her agreement while Jade looked at Jake with concern.  
  
"Where are we even going to start looking, Grandpa? We have no idea where the rumors even originated," she commented. Jake sighed and adjusted his glasses.  
  
"I'll do a little research and see if I can get in contact with some of my ld friends to see what I can find. Get some sleep, Jade. We leave in the afternoon tomorrow, alright?" The green-eyed girl nodded and looked back to John, who seemed crestfallen that his sister had to leave again so soon.  
  
"Don't worry, John. With any luck, we'll be home soon with the Blood wielder." She gave him a tight hug and ran off to her room, presumably to get ready for bed. The blue-eyed boy sighed and looked to his Nanna, Grandpa, and Dad as Terezi finally came back to reality.  
  
"We'll be gone a week at most, John. If we can't find the wielder in a week, we shall return with new soldiers and gather our resources to once again search. In that time, I expect you to really help our newest wielders get a jump start on their training so you can better concentrate on the Blood wielder when we find him," Jake tried comforting his grandson who simply nodded.  
  
"Yeah... I'll make sure they're well enough trained to move on to a different instructor within the week. It'll just suck without Jade to help, though," he complained, earning him a pat on the head from his Dad.  
  
"You'll do just fine, John. You make us proud every day with how you handle the responsibility given to you. I know you'll continue to do so, even without your sister right next to you." He ruffled his son's hair and turned to Terezi. "Miss Pyrope, would you like assistance back to your room?"  
  
"No, that's quite alright, Jaye. Thank you for the offer. I'm just a little woozy. Those things always hit me out of nowhere, and it sucks that I don't have time to prepare myself for it. I'm alright, though." She then turned to John. "As for you, you really need to watch your back as well and really watch out for the new recruits. There will be something special about the batch that King Harley brings in, but I just can't tell what it will be yet. So be wary and conscientious of it," the blind girl said before walking off humming a song and staggering a little here and there. The family watched her, Jane chuckling a little and shaking her head.  
  
"She always is a firecracker. We never know what to expect with her. However, you know how accurate she can be, John. Please do be careful," his Nanna warned, pulling him into a hug. "Now, you should also head to bed, young man. You need your sleep as well. Go on. Shoo shoo." The older woman shooed off her grandson. Once he'd walked out of the hall, her smile dropped with Jaye and Jake looking at her. "Jaye, I'd like you to keep an eye out on John. Bless his heart, he usually manages to get himself in trouble."  
  
"Of course, Mother. I'll start going to the training sessions as well and help him out in place of Jade to make sure all goes well. After all, I do not wish to see him get himself into more trouble than necessary," Jaye answered with a stone face, bringing up his pipe and lighting it. He inhaled a couple puffs, exhaling a gray cloud of smoke. "Since I am taking over for Jade tomorrow, I must get some sleep as well, Mother, Father. I bid you two a good night and best of luck contacting your old peers. I hope you're able to find the Blood wielder so maybe this war can finally end." With that, the middle-aged male turned toward the main part of the palace where their bedrooms resided, following in the steps of his son.  
  
John, meanwhile, had reached his room and finished up his nighttime ablutions and changed into his pajamas. However, he lay in his bed, arms behind his head and stared up at his ceiling, painted blue with white clouds. He loved falling asleep to the sky and waking up with it; it was a dream of his to be able to travel outside the palace for longer than a few hours with Jade. He wanted to see the country he was to take over when the time was right.  
  
Instead of continuing his thoughts of travel, the young man sighed and turned to his side, blue eyes sliding closed as his mind whisked him away to the land of the dreaming.  
  
In his dream, he had friends, even some clad in purple rather than yellow. He stood next to another young man who stayed close and protected him. The last thing he remembered as he fully slipped into sleep was glowing red eyes and shocking white hair.


	4. The Peasant Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peasant boy with a strange ability enlists in the royal army.

"Boy! Get over here and help me move this cart!" A loud, gruff voice shouted. A young man with dark black hair, so black it was almost blue, and hard brown-ish red eyes glared in the direction of the voice.  
  
"Hold on, Old Man. Jesus fuck. I'm doing something else here!" he yelled back just as loud. The two men almost always got into fights and disturbed their neighbors. They'd had the town's security called on them more times than he could count just because of their screaming matches. The young man, however, finished peeling the potatoes for the stew they'd be having for dinner and walked over to his father. "Alright, I'm here. Where are we moving this piece of shit?"  
  
"Don't talk like that, you ungrateful whelp. Move the cart over to the other side. I need to load the vegetables on it so we can sell them at the market tomorrow."  
  
"Whoa! We're selling them? But they're our only real food right now. Are you out of your goddamned mind, you old coot?!" The blacket looked at his father in complete shock and denial. Was he serious? They grew all that food themselves and had already sold so much that year. The rest was supposed to last them until next harvest or until they managed to find better jobs.  
  
"I'm not and stop calling me an old coot! God, you are the worst kid ever. It's a shame your mother didn't have a miscarriage if I'd have known you'd kill her and turn out like this," the elder man stated, turning to the cart. "Now get over here and help me, Karkat."  
  
Karkat Vantas stared at his guardian in complete shock that he'd say something like that. It may not have been the first time, per se, but it still hurt nonetheless. And it hurt so much because the blacket knew just how much of a burden and a constant reminder he was to his father.  
  
The young man never got the chance to get to know his own mother; she died in childbirth. There were too many complications, and he was the easier one to save, so that's what the doctors did. They saved him and let his mother die, leaving his father to raise him single-handedly as well as live with the crushing grief of having just lost the love of his life.  
  
Needless to say, Karkat did not turn out the most respectable.  
  
Nevertheless, he helped his father move the cart since the man seemed so keen on getting rid of the last of their food. If Karkat were being honest with himself instead of hopeful that his father was doing it for a good reason, he knew the old man was selling the produce in order to buy more alcohol. Ever since his wife died, he'd turned to alcohol. It was never very bad while Karkat was growing up, but in the last few years, it became a huge problem.  
  
"Good boy. Now get back to the cooking. I'm starving," ordered the older man with graying hair. He then grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and sat on his favorite chair, staring at a picture of his dead wife. It was the same routine every night. And Karkat hated it, but he did as he was told.  
  
"Whatever. Go be a drunk fuck. See if I care. The only reason I do _anything_ you say is because it's in my best interest to, old coot." With that, the blacket went back to peeling potatoes and chopping vegetables for the stew while the meat simmered in the pot.  
  
Karkat never really minded cooking. It got his mind off of things. Things like his fuckface of a guardian. Things like how poor they were. Things like worrying about the traps he'd set in the nearby woods and if they'd caught anything. Things like his weird goddamn power that was sure to get him killed one day.  
  
As the boy added the rest of the ingredients to the pot to finish cooking, a thought crossed his mind. Didn't the Kingdom pay the families of those that enlisted in their military? Weren't those families taken care of? Or was it just for the aspect wielders? His brow furrowed as he tried to remember the radio cast from a week or so ago. Regardless, he'd be making enough money to keep his father from dying, he'd be fed, and he'd be away from said guardian.  
  
It was decided. Karkat was going to enlist to be a knight in the royal army the next time they came around to recruit.  
  
With that thought in mind, the blacket finished up dinner and served it, taking a bowl to his father in the living room and setting it on the side table.  
  
"Dinner, old coot. I'm eating mine in my room. Have fun getting drunk and reminiscing, fucker," he said, taking his own food into his meager, literally big enough for a bed, a closet, and a dresser room. Their house was so small, it was a wonder that three people were ever going to live there at one point. Karkat was almost glad his mother was no longer alive; he just felt like she'd hate the state of the house.  
  
A few days later is when everything changed for Karkat. The King himself, as well as the Princess came to Pulse and Haze, to his town. They were recruiting. People all over the town were talking about it. The last time that had happened, a Blood wielder had been found. The family hadn't been back since that man was killed in battle. Karkat wove his way through the throng of people, ditching his father to see the King and hear the recruitment speech he'd asked people to pass along notice of.  
  
"Good morning! Gather in closer folks! I have a booming voice, I know, but I want everyone to be able to hear still. Get the people in the back up closer. Yes, like that!" called out the leader of Prospit. It was an honor for everyone to actually get the chance to meet him. His granddaughter stood by his side. Gods, she was cute. The blackette raised a hand and started glowing green, expanding the town square to accommodate everyone.  
  
"There you go, Grandpa! That should help some, too," she giggled, looking out into the crowd.  
  
"Yes, indubitably it does! Thank you, Jade." He turned back to the townsfolk. "Again, now that everyone is within hearing range, good morning! My name is Jake English, and I am your King of Prospit. I have my lovely granddaughter next to me by the name of Jade Harley. We are here today to speak with you all about a very serious matter." Everyone in the audience started whispering amongst themselves.  
  
"Please quiet down, folks!" called out Jade. "Yes, it's a serious matter, but it's not life threatening. There's no need to overreact. Jeez, Grandpa. Did you have to phrase it like that?" she chided her own grandfather, putting her in an even better light in Karkat's mind. He was infatuated and stunned by the presence of two of the highest powers in their country.  
  
"Quite right. Well, why don't you take over this one, Jade." The man began glowing a very pale yellow and touched Jade's shoulder. Karkat watched as her grin got even bigger, and she became more excited.  
  
"Of course! We have to pass on the Hope, don't we?" Ah, he'd used his powers to instill more Hope in her. That's what Karkat had witnessed. "Alright, folks. We are here to not only recruit more people for the royal army, but also because we were following rumors that a Blood wielder resided somewhere in this Land. If anyone knows anything of it or is the Blood wielder, please step forward." Everyone burst into talking and shouts of excitement.  
  
Karkat tried his hardest to keep his face stoic. Blood wielders were destined to die, weren't they? The last one had been killed before he even finished growing. And the one before that had been killed in battle. He didn't understand why people were so excited about it. He just wanted information on the recruitment so he could sign up. Next to him, he felt his father turn away.  
  
"This is ridiculous. Come on, Karkat. Let's go. I thought this would be important." Surely his father wasn't serious? The blacket moved to look at his guardian walking away.  
  
"Fuck you, old coot. I'm staying for the recruitment."  
  
"No, you aren't, Karkat. You're coming home with me right now."  
  
"The hell I am. Go fuck yourself."  
  
"Now, Karkat!"  
  
"No! I'm joining the army! I'm 20. I can do what I want, and if that's signing up to be a knight, then I'm damn well going to do it," he shouted at his guardian, drawing the attention of most of the people in the area, including the King and Princess. "I want to fight for Prospit and get the hell away from you. I'm doing this for you, too, so you don't have to constantly be reminded that I killed Mom in childbirth! I'm doing this for me so I don't have to listen to you tell me every day that you wish _I'd_ been the one to die instead of her. I'm doing this for Prospit because obviously they need help and who better than little old angry me to help?"  
  
"Stop making a scene, boy. You aren't enlisting. Come with me now!"  
  
"Actually, Sir, with all due respect, according to this country's laws, this young man here is allowed to enlist if he so desires as long as he's over 18, which he just stated he was. And he is free to do so without guardian permission seeing as he is an adult.” The blacket's guardian turned to the King as he stated the laws with arms behind his back and a smile on his face underneath his mustache.  
  
"He's the only family I have left, Your Majesty. I ain't about to let him be whisked off to fight a battle he may not come back from," stated Mr. Vantas, actually showing like he cared even a little about his son.  
  
"Bullshit, you sorry excuse for a father! You constantly tell me that I should have been the one to die! So, you can take whatever cow dung you just spouted and shove it right down your esophagus, you shitstained dickmuncher!" Karkat was furious that, of all times, his father decided to show he cared now. In front of the King. He just wanted to kiss ass and control his son. Well, Karkat wasn't having any of it. The blacket turned to the King. "I'd like to enlist, please. Get me the hell away from this poor excuse of a living place. I can be ready to go in half an hour tops. Where do I sign my life away?"  
  
"Hoo hoo hoo! Quite the spirited whipper-snapper! I like you, young man. Jade, will you take care of him while I speak with his father a little more and get some more people sent your way?" Jake laughed jovially, patting Karkat roughly on the back, nearly sending him tumbling forward. He just barely kept himself upright. "You're a natural. Most would have fallen from my rough pats. You kept yourself upright. Good job. I have a lot of hope for you Mr..."  
  
"Karkat. Karkat Vantas," he introduced himself.  
  
"Mr. Karkat, then. Please go over to my granddaughter who will orient you on what we need from you before you go." With that, he gave another strong pat, Karkat only flinching slightly that time, and walked off to speak with the blacket's father who was quickly growing worried and scared. The young man walked over to the other blackette. She...  
  
Was much taller than he expected.  
  
The brown-eyed man had to look up to meet her green ones. She tilted her head down and gave Karkat a big grin.  
  
"Hi there, Karkat! I'm Jade Harley. It's really nice to meet you. Are you ready to be a part of Prospit's army?" she asked, leading him away from the group that had formed around him and his dad fighting.  
  
"Uh... yeah. I think it'll be nice." After he stated that, he wanted to smack himself. Past him is such an idiot. That just sounded so stupid. "And what I mean by that because past me is fucking stupid, is that I'm doing my duty to the country. It'll be an honor." Fuck. He swore in front of her. "Shit, I'm so sorry for swearing, Princess." Just as he was going to open his mouth to apologize again, she spoke.  
  
"Why Karkat! I'm so fucking offended that you'd swear in front of me! And by that, I mean I don't give a damn if you do or not. I'm easy-going. I like swearing, too," she said with a reassuring smile after feigning offense. He about had a heart attack, but when the blacket made sure he knew she wasn't offended, he relaxed. "In all seriousness, though, we need to get you a little oriented before I'll zap you to the palace. And yes, you'll get to travel through Space to get there. Hee hee!" the girl giggled, stopping the other and facing him.  
  
"Alright, firstly, you should pack only the essentials. The things that you can't live without. Secondly, you WILL be traveling through Space. One thing that you need to know is to stay completely still while you are traveling. Otherwise, who knows where you'll end up." The green-eyed girl started explaining things at a rapid pace, making Karkat's head spin slightly.  
  
"Next, you will train for approximately 3 months before receiving your first assignment. Is that satisfactory to you?" Her tone took on one of authority who'd commanded before. It intimidated the other to no end. However, he nodded his agreement. "Good! I think that's about it. Go pack your essentials and meet me back here as soon as you can!" Once done with the serious part of the conversation, Jade went back to being her perky self, baffling the Vantas.  
  
"I'll be back here in 10 minutes," he said, dashing off to his house, the King still having a stern word with his father and teaching him what it means to _be_ a father. Karkat knew he didn't have long to grab his stuff before the man would be let go, so he hurried to grab his stuff once inside his house. The young blacket dashed around, grabbing his toiletries, a few changes of clothes, a couple of his favorite books, and the stuffed crab his mother made for him while she was pregnant. He tossed it all into a backpack and darted back out of the house to the town square once more.  
  
"I'm back! Princess Harley? King English?" he called out, attracting the attention of the latter.  
  
"Ah! There you are, Karkat! I had the most productive talk with your father. I believe I  _gave him Hope_ for a better future," the man said with a wink, indicating that he'd used his powers on the other man to make things go better. Karkat couldn't help but smirk a little. The old fucker deserved to be slightly manipulated. After all, he was a shit to Karkat, so he got what was coming to him. "Ready to go then, my boy?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. I'm ready to go."  
  
"Alright! You'll be traveling with another couple young men and women to the palace. Jade will send you. My wife, son, and grandson will be waiting for you. Best of luck, and thank you for enlisting. We need determined, steadfast young men like you." With a pat to the shoulder, much softer than before, Jake led Karkat to the 5 others that had enlisted from their town. Karkat acknowledged them even if they never talked.  
  
"Ready, guys? I'm going to open a tear in Space right under you. It will take you to the palace. Remember not to move or you'll throw your trajectory off, ok?" Once she'd received nods from everyone, the girl closed her eyes in concentration. She began glowing a bright green and raised both hands. Before anyone knew it, the street dropped out from under them. It took everything Karkat had to stay still, landing in a bright yellow room not too long afterward. He looked around and took in the palace throne room before his eyes strayed up to the thrones.  
  
They were met with stunning blue. Suddenly, Karkat felt like he was home. It was a great feeling, and he knew he'd made the right choice for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you go! Finally, Karkat is in the picture. I'm excited to see where they take me next!


	5. Bitch and the New Recruit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vriska and John interact more, and Karkat is finally thrown into the picture.

While Jade and Grandpa were out, John was stuck with Jaye training all of the new wielders in hand-to-hand combat to get them used to the training done for their armies. The blacket was extremely grateful for his father's help as training five people on his own wouldn't be very time-efficient.  
  
The new recruits were progressing quite quickly, even Sollux and Tavros who were by far the weakest of the group. It was obvious their strengths were elsewhere and within their aspect, but the two did still need proper military training in case something happened to where they couldn't use their aspects. John worked with Vriska and Tavros almost exclusively, training them at the same pace. Jaye, on the other hand, worked a lot with the Captor brothers and Latula, Latula and Mituna already showing quite the capacity of being able to work exceptionally well together.  
  
"Come oooooooon, Tavros. This move isn't that hard," an alto voice rang out in the middle of training about 4 days after Jade left. John turned to Vriska while speaking with his father about what to teach next to see the commotion. The blacket walked over.  
  
"Is everything ok over here? I walked away for like, two seconds, and things get bad. Tavros, do you need help?" John asked, trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
"Everything is fine, John. Tavros here is just having issues with the move. Work with him pleeeeeeeease so we can move on. I'm ready for you to teach me more," she stated in a slightly flirtatious manner. That caused the young Heir to blush and fumble a little with his words.  
  
"I- wha- Wait. Tavros, you _are_ having problems? With what part?" he questioned once it dawned on him what the blonde had said. The blacket mentally shook his head and turned to the brunet as he was answered.  
  
"Well, it's the stance for this one part. I'm not getting balanced enough and am not sure how to fix it... I was waiting until you came back from speaking with your father, though..." The other Breath wielder was quiet and embarrassed by Vriska calling him out in front of everyone. John paid it no mind and went directly into mentor mode.  
  
"Alright. Get into position. Let me see the move so far and we'll work on it from there. Breath wielders are notorious for having shitty balance on land, so that's probably the issue here." John, himself, would trip over _air_ quite regularly. The other Breath wielders that he knew were the same way. So the fact that Tavros was having so many balance issues meant he was already starting to come into his own with his Breath powers.  
  
"Really? So this is normal?" asked Tavros, looking like the information presented by John was his saving grace. He did as he was told to and moved into position, nearly falling on his face in his effort to pull it off. Vriska laughed while John chuckled a little. Tavros' face turned red in embarrassment.  
  
"I thought that was the problem. Here. Try spreading your legs a little more, sticking your dominant one out further. Like this," he demonstrated. The other mimicked it and found himself being able to handle the position a lot better. "Yes! Just like that. Now stick your arms a little closer to your sides... Great! There you go! That's perfect!" he praised the brunet.  
  
"Fiiiiiiiinally, he gets it. Now let's try sparring, Pupa." John furrowed his brows and gave the blonde a questioning look.  
  
"Pupa?"  
  
"Yeah. He apparently looooooooves Peter Pan, and he's kind of like a mid-stage bug, soooooooo I call him Pupa Pan, but Pupa for short. I can give you a nickname, too, if you want, John," she commented, batting her eyes at him a little. The young man flushed a smidgeon, but continued on.  
  
"If you want to, go for it. I'm not inclined one way or another. But that's neither here nor there. Let's get you two sparring while I finish my conversation with Dad." With that, John turned toward the older man while the Breath and Light wielders began sparring, Tavros already doing much better now that he had figured out his balance problem.  
  
"So, has Grandpa found anyone yet? Do you know?" he asked his father, knowing the other would have better information than the letters Jade zapped to him.  
  
"Well, there are new recruits that supposedly are going to arrive in a little while, but no wielders. I'm sorry, John." The elder man gave his son a small frown. They both were looking forward to a Blood wielder being found for their own reasons. Jaye wanted one to be able to protect his son better. John wanted one so he could go outside whenever he wanted. It got annoying being cooped up inside your entire life because it was deemed 'unsafe' for you in the real world.  
  
"Alright... That's ok." Before the blacket could continue his talk, both he and Jaye heard a yell of pain and ran toward Vriska and Tavros. "What's going on over here?!" John cried out as he approached them.  
  
"I got a good hit in. His defense was weak," Vriska answered, gathering her hair into a ponytail with a scoff. Jaye frowned and looked between the two, noting Tavros' position of pain on the ground and the nice bruise forming on his cheek.  
  
"The thing is, Miss Serket, we don't aim for the face during our training. While I do realize that it doesn't mimic real world experience, we wouldn't want one of you to acquire serious damage solely from training. That would do us no good, after all," he explained, eyes staying trained on Vriska with a stern look on his face. The blonde, however, just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Whatever. I won't aim for the face anymore, blah blah. It's not like I knew that going in. So, to be fair, I shouldn't be getting in trouble like this." She knew her strings and how to pull them, Jaye had to admit. While he was conceding, John was helping Tavros.  
  
"Hey, you ok, Tavros? It looks like she's got a damn strong right hook." The blue-eyed man helped his fellow Breath wielder up and checked out his cheek. It was definitely swelling; Vriska really had gotten him pretty well.  
  
"Yeah... I'm fine. I guess I had it coming. I goaded her slightly by saying she wouldn't hit me in the face. I guess she took it as a challenge..." The brunet sighed and stood with John's help, rubbing gently at his cheek to also check the extent of his pain.  
  
"Still, though. That's mean of her." He then caught the tail end of his dad's conversation with her and realized he'd never told them in their training not to aim for serious damage or the face. "Oh no! I knew I forgot to mention something! I'm so sorry," he said to Tavros before turning to everyone. "Hey guys! Can I have your attention please?" Sollux, Mituna, and Latula all looked over.  
  
"Due to an incident that just happened, I remember something I meant to tell you at the beginning of training. We do not condone aiming for the face or intentions to seriously harm our sparring partners. If a partner gets hurt, that kind of defeats the purpose of training them since, while injured, they can't train." John finished up addressing them all. "Now that you know, please refrain from doing so in the future or action will be taken to make sure you understand the consequences of your actions." Everyone seemed to be listening well enough, with the exception of Vriska. She just scoffed and tossed her blonde ponytail over her shoulder.  
  
Once that had been stated, the blue-eyed man allowed them all to go back to their training, returning to Tavros and Vriska to teach them the next move, seeing as Jaye had finished up the previous one with the others. Seeing as the way they trained was to wait for everyone in a group to get it before moving on, they'd been stuck on their current move for several hours. It would be the last move of the day. And that one seemed to go over a lot better than the last one. Very few of them had any trouble with it.  
  
"Remember, everyone! Practice your stances some tonight to ingrain them in your muscles. And don't forget to work on some of your aspect training, too! Dinner is at 6:30 tonight. Report to the dining hall at 6:30 sharp! Dismissed!" John called out at the end of training. They'd all been working hard since noon, leaving them only about an hour before dinner to clean up and relax some.  
  
Vriska approached the blacket after training, pulling her hair out of its ponytail and shaking it. John found himself gulping a little, taken aback by her radiance.  
  
"Y-yes, Vriska? May I help you?" She just smirked a little and put an arm around his shoulder.  
  
"I'd actually like to give you a little lesson as well," she said, moving her face closer to his. Before he knew it, soft, blue-coated lips met his own chapped ones, causing him to freeze. The blonde carefully and slowly moved her lips against his own as he struggled to catch up with what was happening.  
  
Vriska Serket was kissing him. _Him_. Why him of all people? He really wasn't that special. Nevertheless, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing back finally, not sure if he was doing a good job or no. He guessed he was, seeing as she never pulled away.  
  
"I wonder if this is the training-- oh my god!" a harsh voice cried out, shocking John and Vriska apart from each other. They were met with a short, black-haired boy with an angry look on his face as his eyes desperately tried to look anywhere else. John's face turned a bright red while Vriska just clicked her tongue and turned to the changing rooms.  
  
"Whatever. Mood equals ruined now. Gunna go shower. Later, John~" she said with a wave over her shoulder, glaring at the newcomer on her way out. The Heir, however, managed to regain dignity enough to turn to the other.  
  
"I... am really sorry about that, Sir."  
  
"Save it. She's your girlfriend. It's whatever. I just need to know if this is the training hall." The other looked at John in annoyance that far extended normal annoyance. John found that quite strange and a little disconcerting, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he chose to answer.  
  
"Well, she's not my girlfriend. That's the first time that's ever happened. But anyway, yes. This is the training hall. Are you a new recruit? Did my grandpa and Jade send you over?" The royal blacket found himself getting more and more excited to talk to the new recruit. Unfortunately for him, said person wasn't in the mood to say more than necessary.  
  
"Alright, thanks. Yes, I'm a new one. Is that a problem?" he asked, offended tone lacing his entire statement. John put up his hands in a calming manner.  
  
"It's fine. What's your name? Do you know where you'll be bunking? Did you get a slight orientation or did you completely wander off?"  
  
"Ugh... My name is Karkat Vantas. I left my orientation group because I don't need one to find stuff around here. I can find it on my own, thank you," he responded, obviously sounding like he was so sure he was independent. The Heir raised a brow at his statement.  
  
"The thing is, Mr. Vantas--"  
  
"Don't call me that. Karkat is fine."  
  
"Karkat, then. The thing is that you do need your orientation group seeing as there are so many areas to the palace. You'll need it to find your room. The group is very useful to all new recruits," the blue-eyed one explained. He started moving over toward the other, not realizing that his eyes started glowing as he began floating over to Karkat. The other's eyes widened considerably, realizing just who he'd been talking to by the glow that surrounded him.  
  
"Oh my god, I am so sorry for my demeanor, Heir Egbert," he apologized quickly. John just stopped in his tracks, floating a few feet from Karkat with a confused look.  
  
"It's fine. I'm chill with it, Karkat. And just call me John. Everyone else does!" he exclaimed with a smile, the wind reacting to him and whirling around the other blacket with warmth to show friendliness. It was off-putting to Karkat, though.  
  
"You are Heir Egbert, though. I don't think I can call you anything different," Karkat offered. John frowned and huffed a little before settling on the ground again.  
  
"Alright, fine. Heir Egbert is fine. Anyway, need me to show you to your room? You'll be in the Northwest building. It's the new recruit one," he said getting up next to the new person as he offered. The brown-eyed man exhaled loudly and nodded, knowing there was no point in arguing.  
  
With that, the two walked toward the Northwest building, neither realizing just how important they would be to each other in the not-so-far future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's your JohnVris. That's prolly all that I will actually put in here in details.


	6. Put Her in Her Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade and Grandpa return. John and Vriska talk. Vriska takes one step too far out of line.

Finally, the week was over. Jade and Grandpa returned from their recruitment trip, both tired and disheartened. John ran up to and hugged Jade when she got back, holding onto her while she hugged back. Grandpa went ahead to the throne room to speak with his wife and son, letting Jade explain their trip to John.  
  
"I missed you so much, Jade! Training the new wielders just wasn't the same without you. Don't get me wrong, I love Dad and am grateful for his help, but I train people much better with you by my side, Sister," he stated, finally letting her go as she chuckled.  
  
"I know, John, and I missed you, too. Did training go well, though? How far did they get before you turned them over?" she questioned in return. She started leading John toward their rooms, Bec following enthusiastically; he hadn't been taken on the last trip and had missed his human.  
  
"They actually got really far. They're more than just novices with hand-to-hand combat now. They actually got through my defenses a couple times, even Tavros and Sollux. Everyone has started building up more muscle and gaining some weight due to food consumption and the training," John explained as they made it to Jade's room. She allowed him inside, Bec walking in behind him as Jade shut the door and locked it.  
  
"That's great! See, you did a great job without me. That's further than most of the groups we've trained. They must really pick up on things fast," the blackette commented, taking off a couple of her travel layers and cleaning her glasses.  
  
"I guess. Yeah, they learned really quickly. I think it was because of Vriska, honestly. She caught on so fast and helped me a little with teaching Tavros while Dad worked really hard with Sollux. Mituna and Latula are definitely a pair. They work best together. Hell, with their compatibility, I wouldn't be surprised if they could start using Fraymotifs within just a couple months of training." Jade's jaw dropped.  
  
"Whoa! Really? Fraymotifs so soon? They must be each other's other half. They'll get together romantically soon, if that's the case," she commented distractedly. John's brow furrowed.  
  
"Jade? Is everything ok? How did the search for the Blood wielder go?"  
  
"Not well, unfortunately. At least, not openly. We need to see Echidna. She may know something more that can help us. I just feel like our mission was successful even if it wasn't blatant that we recruited the Blood wielder. Grandpa's upset over it, so I want to do this to help him feel better and to put all our minds at ease. Will you come with me, John?" she asked, green meeting blue, determination filling them.  
  
"Of course, Jade. You know you can always count on me to help when you need it," he said, grabbing his sister's hand. Bec barked.  
  
"Not this time, boy. It needs to just be us, ok? Stay here. We'll be back soon, Bec." With that, Jade turned to her brother and grabbed his other hand, glowing green as she transported them to the Land of Frost and Frogs. They quickly made their way through the caverns to the center where Jade called upon the denizen that lay within the Space of that place. Shortly, Echidna appeared before the two young adults.  
  
"Greetings children. You come with questions, do you not?" she inquired knowingly. Jade nodded and let the massive creature smell her to make sure it was her and not an imposter.  
  
"Yes, Echidna. I have several questions regarding the Blood wielder. Terezi Pyrope, Seer of Mind and Oracle of Prospit gave a prediction to John a week ago, detailing the importance of the Blood wielder. So Grandpa and I went out to seek him. However, we did not find him... at least, not openly. I have a feeling we did find him, but we don't know who it is," Jade stated, keeping eye contact with Echidna.  
  
"You are correct in your feelings, young one. You have found him. He is dark and brooding, gruff in nature but has the kindest heart in all of Prospit aside from yourselves. However, he will not reveal himself easily. He has hidden for a reason that you must disprove or coax his powers out of him. The answer will hit you when you least expect," she spoke softly, detailing just how to find the aspect wielder they needed. "That being said, young Pyrope's prediction won't be too long in wait. Once you find your Blood wielder, the gears of war will be set into action very rapidly. You won't have much time to properly get to know one another before calamity strikes, John." John swallowed heavily, a sense of dread washing over him from the denizen's words. He knew they were true, and that frightened him. He didn't want to go to war but knew he had to.  
  
"I understand, Echidna. I will seek him out the best I can so that we can have as much time as possible to get to know one another before we are thrown into war," John responded, knowing he needed to, or Echidna would get offended.  
  
"Thank you, Echidna. I knew I was right!" Jade exclaimed, already much happier. She even let out a sigh of relief with a bright smile on her face. The two waved goodbye to the future-seeing creature and walked out of the caverns. "I knew I was right. Grandpa will be so happy to hear this! We have him, John! We have the Blood wielder!" she all but screamed happily, skipping and jumping about. John couldn't help but feel her happiness and did a few aerial spins of his own before landing.  
  
"I'm just worried about how soon the war will hit when we do find him," the young man commented as they reached the outside. Jade waved a hand.  
  
"Don't worry about it, John. The war will hit when it does. We can't change that, only prepare. Finding out who the wielder is, is how we'll prepare," she stated, grabbing for John's hands and zapping them back to the palace. "Relax, Brother. Things will happen the way they need to. I can just feel it. All will end for the best! Now get out so I can rest. I've been out all week and need to sleep and recuperate," she shooed him out of her room, the two chuckling.  
  
John really had missed Jade, and spending time with her like that had been really nice. However, now he was left alone, so he decided to wander, not quite feeling like playing piano. The young man ended up just wandering the grounds aimlessly. It was a beautiful day outside with just the right amount of shade being cast from the clouds to make the temperature perfect. He let the wind carry him as he sunbathed.  
  
Unfortunately, he wasn't in control and ran right into someone.  
  
"Oof!" he cried out, the wind dropping him onto his back on the ground.  
  
"Hey! Watch it! Oh - John?" Blue eyes opened and turned up to meet a duller pair. He blinked a couple times registering that Vriska was above him and staring down at him after he made a complete ass of himself.  
  
"I am so sorry, Vriska. I wasn't watching where I was going-"  
  
"I'll say. Your head is hard, John. You ran right into my shoulder," she said, a smirk starting to form, indicating she was sarcastically playing with him. The young man started forming a smile as well.  
  
"I know it is. I use it for a lot of things, so it toughened up," he kidded with her, making her chuckle. It was an amazing feeling to John. He felt his heart race in her presence. Playing on her aspect, it's as if his world lit up when she was around. "Anyway, you doing anything? Care to join me on a walk around and just talk?" One of her blonde eyebrows raised.  
  
"Why, Heir, are you asking me out?" she teased, watching as the blacket's face turned bright red, him stammering.  
  
"I-I-I... what made you say that? I simply wanted a partner to walk with," he finally got out, the other flustering him to no end. Curse his lack of proper social protocol and skills! Vriska outright laughed at his response, a kind of high pitched, nasally sound that resonated and didn't sound genuine.  
  
"Alright, alright. Don't get your boxers in a twist, Heir," she chided jokingly, trying to get John to calm down. He just stuck his tongue out at her and finally got himself back up on his feet. The two then started walking around, no direction they were headed.  
  
"So what was your life like before you were recruited?" he asked, wanting to get to know her better.  
  
"Well, I lived with my mother and sister. My mom was a Light wielder in the previous set of battles but has since retired. She's lost her touch anyway. She can't really wield very well anymore. She taught me what I know, even if I handle it differently than she did. My sister seems to possibly be able to wield, but isn't good enough to join the war. She's kind of lame, really. Too book-y," she explained her home life to John, putting her arms behind her head, pursing her lips at the memories of her family.  
  
"Wow! It sounds like you have a really neat family!" he exclaimed, excited to hear about people other than his own kin having wielding families.  
  
"I guess. I mean, it's normal to me, so I don't really see the significance behind it. Now, what about yours? What was it like growing up in the palace?" she responded, questioning him as well.  
  
"Hmm... Well, definitely different than that. I was born April 13th, same day as my Nanna's birthday, a year after my sister. So I'm the baby of the family, too!" he chuckled before continuing. "I grew up being taught how to rule, how to strategize a war, how to use my Breath to move the wind. I also took piano lessons. It's my way of 'playing the wind' like I'm apparently supposed to do with my powers." It was weird for him to detail his life like this; he'd never had to do that with anyone before! It was a nice feeling, though.  
  
"That is what really sounds neat to me. Growing up in a palace must have been awesome!" Vriska commented, looking over to the palace itself and smiling. John just shrugged.  
  
"I mean, it is neat, but when you are kept there and not allowed to go beyond the palace perimeter, then it gets really boring," he said, remembering all his lonely time there.  
  
"Well, you aren't alone now, are you, John?" the blonde asked, turning to the blacket. Their respective blue eyes met as she stepped closer. Her and John were about the same height from what he noticed; she was either tall for a girl or he was short for a boy. Boy, her lips looked plump--what?! No! He did NOT just think that!  
  
"N-no. I guess not?" he stammered, looking down and pulling himself away from his thoughts forcefully. He didn't see the other smirk as she moved closer, grabbing his chin and turning it to face her. When their eyes met once more, she placed her lips gently on his. It took a moment for him to register.  
  
Vriska was kissing him.  
  
Boy, this was nice.  
  
He found his eyes closing as he pressed back against the soft and plump lips on his own, kissing back. Vriska pulled away first, offering him a smirk.  
  
"That was nice, boy wonder, but I have to get back to training. I took a small break to get a breath of air and should be getting back," she winked, John catching her pun as she turned on her heel and walked away without waiting for an response. She wouldn't have gotten one anyway. John was too love struck to really notice his surroundings.  
  
She'd kissed him. That meant she at least sort of liked him, didn't that? He really wanted to tell someone, but his whole family seemed to be against him actually seeing her that way, so they were out. Terezi was against it, too. So, he had no one. That was ok, though. He was happy with the turnout and hoped more would happen later.  
Over the next few days, meetings like that kept occurring. John would go out for a walk, and Vriska would meet up with him. They'd talk more about themselves and their lives. Then, Vriska would kiss him once. Then, twice. Then, they made out. John was in heaven, finally interacting with someone not part of his family. It was amazing what he had with her. He was very much in love. Or so he thought.  
  
About a week into their rendezvous, John decided to surprise Vriska by visiting her at training when she first started for the day. He wanted to see how far she'd come anyway. When he walked into the training building, however, he was met with a terrible sight.  
  
There were stragglers, trying to learn previous moves while other groups moved on. They seemed really disheartened, Sollux and Tavros being part of that. Latula and Mituna were trying their best to help them out, but Vriska walked up.  
  
"Don't help them. They need to get it on their own. If they can't, then what's the point? Right, Pupa?" Vriska barked out, the sneer evident in her voice.  
  
"Vriska, this isn't how we're supposed to lear-" he was cut off by Vriska raising a hand and smacking him hard across the face.  
  
"Listen here, pipsqueak. I am your superior in every way. You'll listen to me if you want to get better, won't you? Won't you?!" she all but screamed, shoving Tavros back, his foot slipping on the platform. "Now it's time to test your Breath powers. Come one, Pupa! Fly!" she shouted with a smirk while Sollux, Latula, and Mituna raced forward. They'd never catch him in time.  
  
So John acted, stunned and hurt that Vriska would do something like that, especially in the middle of training. Maybe everyone was right about her. Regardless, the blacket threw out a hand, the wind bending to his will to catch Tavros and place him gently on the ground. The five looked over, stunned by the display, only to see a stone-faced John.  
  
"Vriska. That was uncalled for. Absolutely uncalled for. It was cruel. Who do you think you are? You aren't a general or a trainer yet. You have no authority over how these groups train," he stated in, voice chilled with anger.  
  
"John. I was just trying to help-"  
  
"The hell you were, Vriska. That isn't helping. That's cruel and quite the opposite. What was the rule about attacking to harm? Hm? And the fact that you obviously are trying to take over here when it's not wanted or needed. These groups know how to train. If you have a problem with it, take it up with me, Miss Serket," he finished, authority lacing his voice and brows falling into a glare toward her. She took a step back before giving him a glare of her own, realizing just how angry he was, but not stepping down.  
  
"I think your method of training is stupid! Why should I have to wait for these dunderheads to get a move when I already have it? Why can't I just advance and leave them in the dust where they belong? So, I took over. I made it better. If YOU have a problem with is, tell me now."  
  
"Oh, Miss Serket. I DO have a problem with it. You will cease this at once or I will put you in your place," he stated, voice completely icy and authority skyrocketing. All those years of lessons were paying off finally.  
  
"Fine. Let's duel then to see who really has the authority over how people learn to fight," the blonde suggested, over-confident. John raised a brow and offered a smirk of his own.  
  
"You're on. No bars held. Anything goes. Ready?" he asked, watching as she sneered at him and nodded, getting into fight stance. John made no move. Instead of giving him a verbal answer, the blonde lunged at him, putting to use everything she'd learned.  
  
But it simply wasn't enough.  
  
John used the wind to trip her, making her fall to the ground and scrape her chin, much to the enjoyment of everyone watching - that is to say, everyone in the training hall.  
  
"You cheater!"  
  
"I said no bars held, Miss Serket."  
  
"Stop calling me that!"  
  
"No."  
  
"RAUGH!" She launched herself at him again, teeth bared as she threw a punch at him. He dodged and grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back.  
  
"See, if you actually paid attention in the lessons to all the practical uses of a move, you'd have known I would do this and could have countered appropriately." John let go of her and shoved her, wind moving around her to keep her in place.  
  
"What the fuck?"  
  
"Do you see your place, Miss Serket? It is beneath me in every way. You are nothing compared to me. You need to go back to the beginning in your lessons and pay attention to all the practical uses for each move. You will train solo from here on out. And I swear to the Gods, if you fuck up anything for anyone once you are deployed, I will destroy you myself, Miss Serket," John stated, anger lacing his tone. The entire hall was quiet for just a little before cheers erupted. People clapped, whistled, screamed their love for John as he stood above the girl who'd made their lives living hells.  
  
Some even threw their weapons.  
  
Toward unsuspecting others. But one Karkat Vantas noticed.  
  
"Look out!" he cried out, reaching for the guy. He wouldn't make it in time!  
  
_Blood_  
  
Karkat's eyes glowed red, his hair turned white, and a stream of red flew from his wrist, forming a shield around the guy so the sword wouldn't penetrate.  
  
John, having been witness to the whole thing, felt his jaw drop.  
  
_The Blood wielder_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY THE JOHNVRIS IS OVER AND I CAN START THE JOHNKAT! HALLELUJAH! I am NOT a fan of JohnVris unless it is an AU where Vriska isn't a total bitch. But this was necessary to the story, soooo.... I sucked it up. I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter!


	7. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Karkat has been discovered as the Blood wielder, there is business to attend to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one will be a little shorter due to the ending being the best place to end it. I already have plans for the next chapter, so be on the lookout!

Hushed tones encompassed the entirety of the training building that was once filled with the hoots and hollers of celebration. Everyone was talking about what had just happened. Karkat Vantas had just saved someone with his own blood. The last time that had happened, The Signless was run through with a trident, seeing as he was left vulnerable.  
  
The young man relaxed, hair turning back to black and the glow receding. He took a deep breath as his blood returned to his body; it seemed painful. When Karkat looked around afterward, he was met with disbelieving stares from everyone.  
  
"What are all you assmunches staring at?" he questioned with defense. The guy he'd just saved spoke up.  
  
"You just saved me... with _Blood_ ," he said, wonder in his voice. "Thank you so much, Karkat..." It was then that the incident dawned fully on Karkat. His eyes went wide, and he took on a scared look. John stepped forward at that moment, all business.  
  
"Karkat Vantas. Please come with me," he stated, arms to his side, a serious look on his face for once. His eyes gave off a blue glow as he sent a message on the wind to Jade to gather the family; Echidna had been right that they'd recruited the Blood wielder without realizing who he was. Karkat looked absolutely terrified of John in that moment, wanting nothing more than to run. However, he knew that'd be futile. He'd seen how easily John downed _Vriska_. The young man didn't stand a chance against the Heir. So he followed. It was all he could do, after all, in his final moments.  
  
John, after addressing Karkat, turned to the entrance of the building, leading the other out and toward the throne room. The trip was silent as they walked, Karkat quite a ways behind John, but the Heir paid no mind. He was conversing on the wind with Jade answering in the Space by his ear.  
  
 _"Who is the Blood wielder?"  
  
"You'll find out when I get there with him."  
  
"Awwww. But can't I know now?"  
  
"No, Jade. This is serious. This guy is going to be with me until this damnable war is over. I don't know what to do about this, and I need Dad, Nanna, and Grandpa as well as you. But I can't tell you who it is just yet. Meet us in the throne room. Make sure the others are there, too. We'll be there in about 5 minutes."_  
  
This was one of the signs the two had mastery over their aspects. They could use them for anything. Jade was almost like a witch with her Space powers, being able to use them for specific purposes almost like spells. John, on the other hand, was able to do _anything_ he wanted to with his. He truly was an 'Heir' to the mastery of Breath. There was still a lot left for him to learn, but his personal instructor, a Lord of Breath, said even he claimed John as an Heir to the mastery of the aspect.  
  
Finally, the two young men made it to the palace, John holding the door open for Karkat to walk in first, the shorter one automatically being met with four stares in the throne room. The two heard Jade gasp as she saw Karkat, John walking right past the other to his spot.  
  
"Nanna, Grandpa, Dad, Jade. I bring to you Karkat Vantas, the Blood wielder," he announced as he took his seat, leaving the other up in front of them all, under all of their scrutiny. In his mind, he was absolutely freaking out. This was it. This was when he'd die. He was doomed There was no other way out of it. They'd decapitate him. They'd eviscerate him. They'd draw and quarter him. All the methods of how they'd do away with him ran through his mind as the Queen spoke up.  
  
"Karkat Vantas. Do you hold the ability to wield the aspect of Blood?" she questioned, voice light and lively, full of excitement. Finally, they'd found someone to protect John. She felt so much better about her grandson going out and about and fighting in the war now. She could just tell this boy had a lot of Life in him, ready to give it up at a moment's notice for the right person.  
  
"Y-yes, Your Majesty..." he answered best he could while trying to keep the tremble out of his voice. His brow furrowed when the older woman smiled at him before turning to her husband.  
  
"Do you have anything to say, Jake?"  
  
"I do, indeed, Jane." The elder man turned to Karkat and stood, walking over to him with a stone face. Karkat grew more and more scared the closer the man got to him. He even backed up just a little. Oh Gods... He was going to die...  
  
"Karkat Vantas. Why didn't you tell us you were the Blood wielder we were looking for, my boy? It certainly would have saved us a lot of effort and put all our minds at ease that you hadn't been killed by Dersites before we got to you," he said, loud and booming with a jovial smile on his face, clapping Karkat on the shoulder and actually downing him. The boy had been surprised. "Oh! Terribly sorry, chap. Let me help." Jake lifted him completely off of the ground and stood him back up even though he wobbled back and forth, blinking in confusion at their hospitality. Was this a joke to them? Weren't they supposed to kill him? Weren't his powers... _bad_?  
  
"I..." He couldn't even say anything due to his shock.  
  
"Karkat! I knew there was something special about you!" exclaimed Jade as she ran up and threw her arms around him, picking him up and spinning him. Ah. That was it. That was how he was to die. Embarrassment and confusion. Well, it was working wonders. Finally, he had enough as he met John's smiling face.  
  
"Why are you people being so nice to me?!" he cried out, detaching himself from Jade and barely catching himself. Everyone blinked before Jay stood up and cleared his throat.  
  
"Dad, Jade, please come back over here. I think we've confused Karkat here." The man turned to the short blacket, addressing him. "We are being nice to you because you are what will end the war along with my son. We've been looking for you because you are to play a pivotal point in this conflict that has been going on for so long. All of us wish to live peaceful lives without the threat of a war on the horizon from neighboring kingdoms. John and Jade and, I'm assuming, you have never known the life of a peace. You've always known war, conflict, terror." Karkat nodded.  
  
"True, but how do you know I'm the important one?"  
  
"Our Seer told us. Jade, will you be a dear and grab Terezi for me? She needs to prove herself to Karkat," the man spoke to his daughter after the young man in front of them all. She nodded and ripped a hole in Space, disappearing for only seconds and coming back with one of the other most beautiful girls Karkat had ever laid eyes on. She had auburn hair, pale skin, and freckles. She wore strange, red-tinted glasses, but she was beautiful.  
  
"So you found the Blood wielder?" she asked. Karkat loved her gravelly voice already. More so than the chipper voice of Jade.  
  
"Yes, we have. He's standing in front of us. His name is Karkat Vantas. Now, I'd like you to reiterate the prophecy for him so he knows just how important he is to this cause," stated Jaye. Terezi nodded and looked over in the direction of Karkat.  
  
"Very well. Here is what was said. _"The Heir will bring people of warring nations together but only if he truly learns how to play the Wind. The Knight will act as his shield and pillar during this time, but only if he can learn the protective properties of Blood."_ I didn't come up with it. It came through me as a Mind wielder." A Mind wielder. Those were powerful because they could manipulate if the blacket remembered correctly. He nodded before realizing she couldn't see him.  
  
"So I'm supposed to be a shield and pillar? What's that even supposed to mean? I thought Blood wielders were bad and were killed. Why am I being kept alive?" The questions flowed from him as he realized he wouldn't be executed simply for existing anymore.  
  
"Well, my boy, you aren't going to be killed because you are to protect John here until the end of the war. You serve a higher purpose. Not to mention, Blood wielders are very rare. They are few and far between. Due to the nature of their abilities, they are seen as prizes, and if one person can't have them, no one can," said Jake in answer to the other's inquiries. Jane continued.  
  
"The last Blood wielder to make it to these walls was a man named Silas. He was an amazing man, so kind-hearted and loving. He was protective of me. See, I was in the same role as John for a while. Being a Princess meant I couldn't go out without protection. They only reason Jade is allowed out is due to her Space aspect affinity. Back to topic. Silas was my knight. Jake here was his page once he was discovered as well.  
  
In the beginning of the war, Silas fought hard, both hand-to-hand and as a defense. He protected me more times than I can even count as I brought people back to life on the battlefield. Unfortunately, he met his end there.  
  
About 25 years ago, he was killed while protecting Jake from an onslaught. When he shielded, he himself became vulnerable. The Black Queen from Derse speared him with her trident while one of her archers struck him with an arrow. Right through the heart. If he hadn't fallen then, we would have won that battle and the war. However, we retreated to bury him in peace. He's laid under that tree in front of the palace doors," she explained. Karkat's eyes widened at the history of the Blood wielders, specifically Silas. He sounded like an amazing person. Amazing, yet insanely stupid for not protecting himself better and allowing himself to be killed. Seriously, what kind of an idiot leaves himself open to attack?  
  
"Do you understand, Karkat, why we need you?" asked Jaye. The blacket being questioned looked between all of the royal family and the Seer, noting their hopeful looks that he'd agree. His eyes fell on John, who gave him a reassuring smile, thumbs up, and a nod. Just as he was about to answer, Terezi gasped and went rigid, head falling to her chest then raising slowly as she glowed teal.  
  
 _"The Blood wielder must stay vigilant in his decision for there will be instances he will fail. He must not let those deter him in getting close to the Heir. Their bond is necessary to win the war and end the fighting. Beware, be cautious, be loving, be vigilant."_  
  
Everyone was silent as she spoke her prophecy, collapsing into Jade's arms when it had finished. Karkat was stunned at the happening, having never seen anything like it before, and finding he was worried about the state of Terezi.  
  
"You ok, Terezi?" asked Jade as the ginger came to. Said ginger nodded and turned toward Jade.  
  
"I'm fine, but will you take me to my rooms? I need to lie down. I don't normally have two visions within a month or two. They're exhausting," she said, standing with the blackette's help. She tore another hole in Space and took Terezi back, Karkat feeling a little despondent that the girl was gone now. He shook it off with a scowl and turned back to the family.  
  
"So I'm supposed to guard The Heir?" he questioned, wanting to make sure he knew what his duties were now that he was able to keep his life.  
  
"Yes! John, go over and properly introduce yourself to the lad," said Jake. "Maybe you two can go bond or something for the time being while we discuss training methods for you two." John jumped up and nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"I'm up for that! Come on, Karkat. Let's go get to know one another!"


	8. Bonding and Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat and John bond along with new friends and a schedule is made for Karkat's training.

The two men walked out of the palace, John leading the way. It was silent for the first while as both blackets focused on figuring out what to say. Karkat had so many questions for John but wasn't sure how to go about asking any of them without sounding completely stupid. John, on the other hand, was just trying to figure out what to ask first. Finally, he just decided to wing it.  
  
"So, Karkat. Where do you hail from? Which of Prospit's lands?" was the first question out of the Heir's mouth. The Blood wielder answered almost mechanically.  
  
"I hail from the Land of Pulse and Haze, home to a great many soldiers in your army, Sir." He was so nervous; he didn't want to screw up any answer lest they decide to revoke him staying alive. John just laughed at his tone.  
  
"Oh come on, Karkat! No need to call me 'Sir'. Seriously. Just call me John. We'll be working together a lot more from now on. Might as well be informal about it," he chuckled, explaining his own thought process. The Breath wielder _hated_ being called 'Sir' or 'Heir' or anything. He didn't want to be reminded of his status. He just wanted to be a normal kid for a little! With friends and adventures. Not with war and strife. Karkat, however, looked very uncomfortable with the idea.  
  
"I... can I call you Egbert instead? I don't think calling you John is ok with my station." It was hard to do, but Karkat actually mentioned his own plebian nature and how it wouldn't be right to call the Heir so informally. John just sighed and turned around to smile at him, the smile a little strained.  
  
"Fine by me, Karkat. At least it's better than 'Sir' or 'Heir' or whatever. It's a step in the right direction! Ok. Your turn to ask me a question! Let's make a game out of this. We ask each other questions every other time, and the other has to answer honestly. No boundaries!"  
  
"My only boundary is my home life. I refuse to talk about it," the Blood wielder threw in quickly, almost interrupting John. He realized this and flushed bright red. "Sorry for speaking out so quickly..."  
  
"It's fine. Alright then. No home life conversations. For us both. Go ahead and ask any other question then!" John exclaimed, excited to see what the other would ask. What would he want to know? What cool thing could John share with his new friend?  
  
Karkat, on the other hand, struggled to figure out what question. The 'no home life' boundary certainly put a damper on some of his questions, but not enough that he didn't have any others.  
  
"Um... What's it like being a Breath wielder?" There. That one should be a safe question. The other positively beamed.  
  
"Alright. So being a Breath wielder is about the _best_ thing ever. It's so light and airy," he laughed at his own pun while Karkat remained impassive. "It's really hard to control, though. Wind has a mind of its own, really. It takes a lot to be able to get it to do what you want. Unless you make friends with the Breeze! Like I have. She's fun to talk to from time to time." The other just looked at John with a look that said 'what?' None of what the Heir was saying made sense at all to Karkat. How can one befriend a breeze?  
  
"Wha-"  
  
"Ah ah! It's my turn, Karkat. Hmmm... Fine then. What's it like being a Blood wielder? Since you asked about Breath, I get to ask about Blood." John looked insanely proud of himself for his logic, causing Karkat to raise an eyebrow. With a shrug, he looked off to the side.  
  
"It's... terrifying, honestly. I've been able to make shields and weapons out of my blood since I was a kid, but I kept it hidden. I'd only ever heard bad things about the ability, so I hid it to ensure living." His answer was a lot darker than John had been expecting, but it made sense why he thought he'd be killed when John brought him into the palace. "Alright, my turn. "What did you mean by 'making friends with the breeze?' How do you even do that?" John laughed and floated a little.  
  
"Well, the Breeze is a very musical entity. You have to learn how to play her in order to speak with her. I play piano and have learned her song, thus, I was able to talk to her. She sees so much! It's amazing to hear what she knows. Maybe you'll be able to speak with her someday. I'm sure she'd have knowledge for you, too!" John spun around in the air, carefree and landed in front of Karkat. "My turn! What do you like to do for fun?"  
  
Fun? Karkat had never really had the chance for it. Sure, he liked to read, but he never really got the time to do it, always having to be out hunting or at the market selling or with his dad growing crops.  
  
"I guess I like to read..." was his simple answer. The other stuff delved into home life territory, and he wasn't about to share that without being prompted. "Why are you so carefree?" he blurted before slapping his hands over his mouth. He hadn't meant to ask that!  
  
"If I'm not, who will be?" John asked in return, blue eyes shining brightly as the wind picked him up again. "I'm carefree because there's too much going on that is serious. I'm carefree because I have to be to stay sane. I'm carefree because it's easier to connect to the wind. And I'm carefree because it's fun!" His voice steadily got happier and perkier with every sentence until he was swirling around on the breeze again.  
  
It was fun? That was it? He was carefree to escape the seriousness of what's going on? What the ever loving fuck?  
  
"Seriously? That's why?" Karkat started, voice low, brows furrowed in anger. Enough was enough. John was annoying him with his peppiness. "You're carefree to escape your duties???" The Blood wielder looked up, meeting John's eyes with his own fiery red-brown ones. His face was drawn into one of anger. "You're the Heir, Egbert! You can't just be carefree whenever you want to be! There's a goddamned war on the horizon, and you're over here... I don't know, _FLOATING_ on the air for no goddamned reason! You're playing a game with me when we could be training to end this damnable thing! You talk about befriending the goddamned _BREEZE_ for fuck's sake! What the hell kind of heir does that and abandons his duties to his kingdom?!" Karkat shouted at the other, throwing his arms in wild gestures as he spoke. The blacket was angry at the other for not taking his role in the war seriously enough.  
  
John was very taken aback by the sudden outburst from Karkat. He'd never been yelled at like that in his life. People always tread too lightly around him, even Jade. It was like he was a fragile Prince that needed protecting. Well, he was sick of it! Karkat told it to him straight. He didn't beat around the bush like everyone else did. He _yelled_ at him, and it was amazing! The blacket found himself laughing as soon as the other finished. He was holding his gut, laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes.  
  
When he finally calmed down enough to talk again, the man wiped his eyes and sniffled a little with a giant grin on his face. "Oh my god, Karkat. That was amazing! I've never been yelled at like that before." Karkat immediately clapped his hands over his mouth before trying to shout apologies.  
  
"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I was out of line. I shouldn't have said--"  
  
"Oh come off it, Karkat. You said what you wanted to. I angered you, and you told it to me straight. I like that. I can safely say that you are my palhoncho now. And you don't get to decide otherwise," stated John, smile present as he lowered himself to the ground with his hands on his hips.  
  
"I know that I said that but I shouldn't have. It was out of line and... what? 'Palhoncho'? What the fuck is a palhoncho?" His language started slipping out more and more as he grew accustomed to being angry with John who found it amusing.  
  
"A Palhoncho is a friend-leader. I'm a leader. You're my friend and will be a leader, too. So we are palhonchos! Come on. I want to show you my favorite place and we can show off our respective powers." With that, John started walking toward his favorite shady spot with Karkat close behind, jaw lax in befuddlement.  
  
"You're seriously not angry with me for speaking out of line?"  
  
"Why would I be? You're the first one to ever speak to me like that. It was honest and raw. I appreciate it, honestly," John answered, still smiling with a skip in his step. "Here we are! My favorite spot. It's nice and shady with the perfect breeze!" he said, letting himself feel the wind caress him in a warm hug. "Hello, Breeze. It's nice to feel you so well again." He then let the wind lift him effortlessly as Karkat moved in front of him, watching with wide eyes.  
  
"How does that feel?" he asked without thinking, astounded that he was seeing someone fly so easily.  
  
"Weightless. I feel so light, like I'm not really here. It feels warm and welcoming, too. Like home. I feel like I belong in the sky with the Wind and Breeze. Typheus always told me I had a natural gift for Breath, but I didn't realize this was what he meant until recently. Working with Tavros opened my eyes to the fact that not everyone feels weightless while flying like this." John twisted and twirled in the sky, flying back down to Karkat and leveling himself with the other, noting he hadn't been at that eye level since he was 14, 4 years ago. "What about you? What does it feel like to wield your power? Can you show me more of it? Can you use it offensively like I can?" The other backed up a little, startled by the closeness of the Heir to him so suddenly.  
  
"Um... I don't know... It feels like my blood is being pulled from my body. I get really cold, but my shields feel so hot. I've only ever made shields before. I've never experimented further than that," he answered, hoping that was the right one.  
  
"Aw man. You can't use it offensively? Like this?" John concentrated and threw his arm toward a boulder laying not too far from them. Karkat watched on in confusion until the rock split right in half cleanly. Had John just... "I can use it however I want. I can even do this." The Heir showed himself wrapping his hand around an invisible object facing another tree and lifting up. The Blood wielder's jaw dropped as the tree uprooted itself in one clean motion, moving with John's hand. The Breath wielder placed the tree back, knowing he'd have to talk to his Nanna about the tree to bring it back to Life later.  
  
"I've never done _anything_ like that with my Blood before, Egbert. I didn't even know that was possible to do."  
  
"Well what _can_ you do? Just make shields? Make one for me!" The blacket found himself really excited at the prospect of seeing his new friend's power in action. Karkat just shook his head.  
  
"I can't, Egbert. I don't know how. I've never made one intentionally before."  
  
"Intentionally, huh...?" John's face became slowly mischievous as he formed a plan. "Wait right here," he commanded, flying a little away and taking off upward into the sky. He felt the Breeze around him concerned for his plan, but he said he'd be alright. When he was sufficiently high, he barely heard Karkat cry out 'EGBERT!' as he let the Wind go and plummeted back toward the ground.  
  
Karkat, on the other hand, was freaking out. What the hell was John doing?! He was going to kill himself. Oh, Gods. He's falling. He's falling. Oh, Gods. As John got closer to the ground, Karkat freaked out more until he shouted out "EGBERT," and threw his hands out, glowing bright red. His hair turned white, his eyes turned red, and Blood seeped out of his hands, leaving a chilled feeling behind. The viscous substance formed a pile right under John, catching the Heir as he fell and cushioning the landing, dropping him on the ground on his feet afterward. It then crawled back to Karkat's hands, slowly going back in as he stopped glowing and returned to being black haired with brown eyes. The poor man fell to his knees, panting, never having exerted himself with it that much before.  
  
John walked over with a big grin on his face. "That was amazing, Karkat!" he exclaimed, giving the other blacket a hug. "Thanks for saving me, pal! Now, you look like you need food. It's dinner time, so let's go grab some grub, alright?" The Blood wielder simply nodded, knowing John would do his own thing no matter what and drag him along, so it was best to just go with it. Plus, his anemia was acting up, so food would be really nice." Here. Let me help you up," John offered, asking the Breeze to then help Karkat to the dining hall  
  
The two of them made it to the dining hall with very little issue. Along the way, Karkat regained enough of his strength to walk on his own, not needing the Breeze to help anymore. He wanted to walk in with dignity anyway. So the blackets walked in, John leading the way to the table with the new recruits.  
  
Vriska was sitting off by herself, away from the others. As soon as John walked in, her face turned red and she couldn't meet his eyes. The blonde was mortified from the utter defeat earlier on in the day and simply couldn't face it right then. Tavros, however, looked much happier, talking with the Captor brothers and Latula animatedly, a light breeze ruffling everyone's hair as he got excited. John walked over with Karkat and introduced him.  
  
"Hey everyone! This is Karkat Vantas. He's a Blood wielder and will be starting training with you guys some tomorrow!" The four of them just stared at the new wielder in wonderment, not knowing how to handle it. Latula, however, spoke up.  
  
"Hey there! Super nice to meet you. I bet you are one rad dude, Karkat," she said, trying to make him feel welcome.  
  
"I agree. But you won't be radder than me! Not ever! Hee hee hee hee hee!" cackled Mituna before going back to talking with Latula about his powers and what he'd learned to do with them that day.  
  
"Uh... nice to meet you, Karkat. I'm Tavros, a Breath wielder." It took a lot for him to speak up, but without Vriska breathing down his neck, he felt like he could branch out more. Karkat nodded at all three of them, turning to the last; Sollux.  
  
"Sup. Sollux Captor. And just so you know, I am not going to treat you special, KK. So don't even get that idea in your head just because you're a Blood wielder." Karkat was noticeably taken aback by the tone Sollux gave him.  
  
"Well, it's not like I wanted to be treated differently anyway, fucknuts." When he realized who he'd just spoken in front of, he turned his head with an embarrassed flush. "Sorry..."  
  
"Dude. John doesn't give a fuck. He cusses, too," Sollux explained with a lisp, blue and red eyes dancing in mirth. The blacket growled and sat in front of him and glared. John piped up, sitting between Karkat and Tavros and filling his plate.  
  
"It's true. I really don't give a rat's ass if you cuss or not. I do it, too." He grinned widely at his new palhoncho and dug in. With a mouth full of food, he waved his fork at Karkat. "Eat. You need it after your performance earlier."  
  
"Fine..."  
  
"Yeah, KK. Listen to your new master. Eat," teased the blond with a smirk. The blacket growled and nearly flung a spoonful of potatoes at his face, but he thought better of it and ate that spoonful instead.  
  
The rest of dinner was spent with Sollux and Karkat quarreling over every little thing. However, Karkat seemed to be having fun with it, never having had someone like that in his life before. It was like, other than John, he finally had a real friend. He had someone who accepted him for who he was and not put him on a pedestal for the power he had. In fact, all four of the others treated him like they would anyone else. He finally felt like he belonged somewhere.  
  
When dinner was over, John told Karkat to stay where he was and ran up to Jake to talk to him about a training regimen for the Blood wielder.  
  
"So how is his training going to be set up? Obviously, he needs to train with the others, but also, he has to train with me. So how are we going to work that?" asked John, cutting straight to the chase. Grandpa laughed loudly and handed his grandson a piece of paper.  
  
"Give that to Mr. Vantas. It has his training schedule on it. Yours stays the same. He'll just be added to some of it. Now, go show him to his new room so he can rest up for the night. Tomorrow starts bright and early for him, after all!" John thanked his grandpa and headed back down to his new friend.  
  
"Alright, Karkat. Here's your new training schedule. Some of it will be with me and some will be with the others and a little will be on your own. We start bright and early tomorrow, so let's get you to your new room!" Karkat had been looking over his schedule when he heard 'new room' and perked up.  
  
"New room? Why?"  
  
"Because all the wielders have their own room in one of four buildings dedicated to certain aspects. You, being a Blood wielder, belong in there with your own room. If it's not to your liking, though, let me know and I'll pull strings for you to stay in the palace with me!" he chuckled. "Now come on! Let's go!" With that, the Heir pulled his new friend up and led the way to the west building. The trip was silent as Karkat looked over his schedule and memorized it, John for once staying quiet to let him.  
  
When the two arrived, John led the way to the Blood hallway, taking Karkat to the first door on the left. 612. John never understood how all the rooms were numbered, but obviously, they weren't by hallway.  
  
"Here you are, Karkat. Your new room. All your stuff's already been moved. Get some sleep. I'll see you at breakfast! You're coming to the palace for it, after all. I have to show you where our beginning training will take place." Before Karkat could respond, the other blacket was out of sight, almost like he disappeared.  
  
The blacket just sighed and looked around the room. The dorms for the normal soldiers were extravagant, but this... this was amazing. The bed looked softer, the walls were brighter and more decorated. There was a desk and his own bathroom. It was incredible. Karkat had never lived so luxuriously before. He almost didn't want to touch anything for fear of ruining it. However, he did sit on the bed and then flopped back.  
  
That day had been full of one thing right after another. He'd been discovered, been allowed to live, told he was the key to the war, blew up at the Heir, made new friends, and got a room all to himself that was bigger than the house he grew up in. But he finally felt like he belonged somewhere.  
  
And that was the thought he fell asleep with, a smile on his face and a warmth in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINALLY WROTE THIS CHAPTER! It's been sitting to the side for a while. I just couldn't write it. I needed a break and that shows with 3416 words in this chapter. It's good to be back. I hope you enjoyed this. Things should start picking up a little more now on the JohnKat front. Just saying~


	9. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat's first day of training as the Blood wielder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Look what's finally being updated again! I'm so sorry it's taken a couple weeks to get this chapter out, but I was participating in an event on another site where we were trying to write as much as we could in a month and having that right after another month of having to write so much just burned me out. So I turned to art. You can see some of my work in my fiance's story 'Bandits of Sorrow.' (No really, you should check it out if you like EriSol because DAMN it's a good one). But here it is! The next chapter and the much awaited one of Karkat's first day of training! Enjoy the extra long chapter to make up for how long it's been.

The next day, Karkat was startled awake by a loud pounding on his door. The poor, young man fell out of his bed with how much he jerked awake from the loud rapping. He grumbled angrily as he rubbed his elbow, it having his the floor pretty hard, and walked over to the door, throwing it open with a ‘WHAT?’  
  
In the doorway, with a stupid smile on his face, was John, all dressed and ready for the day. The Blood wielder stared at the the Heir with a blank look, just blinking at him as everything still processed. John, however, took that time to start speaking.  
  
“Good morning, Karkat! I hope you slept well. I know it’s still kind of early and that I said you should just meet me at the palace, but I couldn’t wait! I was just too excited to start training with you that I couldn’t stay asleep once I woke up about an hour ago. I decided to be your wake up call!” he said with enthusiasm. His blue eyes sparkled as he excitedly continued. “So wakey wakey, Karkat! Time to get ready for the day. We have a big one ahead of us!”  
  
Karkat stood in his doorway watching the other be a morning person as the wind picked up the Heir, allowing him to float. The Blood wielder blinked several times as the sleep slowly started receding, and he was presented with a very excitable person first thing in the morning, something he just couldn’t wrap his head around. In fact, the black haired boy started shutting the door in John’s face, ready to go back to sleep for another hour like usual when John stopped the door with the wind, touching back down on the ground.  
  
“Ah-ah, Karkat. You do need to get up. Breakfast will be served in half an hour and we still have to walk over to the palace from here. Don’t tell me you don’t want breakfast!” John exclaimed, stunned at the prospect of anyone not wanting the most important meal of the day. Karkat once more blinked at him before opening his mouth to speak, finally.  
  
“Listen here, Heir, I don’t normally get up this early. I don’t normally eat breakfast. I’d rather sleep. You do know what that is right? It’s where you GIVE YOUR BODY A FUCKING REST! Like a normal fucking person.” It was morning. Karkat found he didn’t give a flying rat’s ass that he was being rude to the person he was supposed to guard.  
  
“Aw, come on, Karkat. Don’t be like that. Breakfast is great! It gives you the energy you need to keep going through the day! Not to mention, breakfast food is the best food. Bacon, especially. Like, who can pass up bacon? Not me. No, sir. So come on, Karkat. Get dressed, and we can go eat with my family before heading to Discipline Training. In case you didn’t look at the times on your training sheet, I get up earlier than the others because I have more training to do than they do,” he explained to the other, floating Karkat’s schedule over and showing him the times.  
  
“Shit... I didn’t even notice that...” Goddammit, the Heir was right. He had to get up a whole hour earlier than normal. “How the hell do you even function like this? How much sleep do you even get?”  
  
“I get enough. You’ll learn, Karkat. I’ve just been on this schedule for years. It’s ingrained into me,” John shrugged, lopsided smile still present. Karkat found himself sighing dejectedly and walking more into his room, leaving the door open as an invitation for John to come in as well.  
  
“Whatever. I’m sure I’ll never get used to it. Mornings, if you couldn’t tell, aren’t my thing. And losing an hour of sleep is going to make me even crabbier than normal,” he warned, grabbing out the standard blue training outfit. “Now if you could turn around, that’d be great.” Sure they were both guys, but he still wanted privacy, dammit.  
  
John chuckled and turned around, mulling over what the other had said about being crabbier. “How do you like coffee? We have that so you’ll be more awake,” he offered, already having a feeling he knew exactly what the other would say.  
  
“Coffee? You have coffee here? That was always a luxury for us... You win. As long as I can have coffee every morning, I’ll wake up at this ungodly hour for you,” he answered, moving a little faster in his routine to don the stretchy black pants and lightweight blue shirt. He didn’t even bother with his hair, knowing it was sticking up all over. There was nothing he could do with it anyway. It’d stay that way no matter what he did with it. Even though Karkat was now essentially awake, he could already tell he would be done with John by the time they made it to breakfast. He would NEED that coffee.  
  
“Of course we have coffee! How do you think I make it through my Royal lessons without falling asleep? Seriously, that information is the most boring part of my entire day. Can you say ‘Snoresland?’” he joked around, floating lazy circles around Karkat when the other gave indication that he could look again.  
  
“Can you stop doing that? You’re giving me motion sickness,” Karkat grumbled, feeling nauseated from trying to keep up with John. The other dropped back down to the ground and remained grounded.  
  
“Sorry about that. Well? Are you ready? Let’s get over to breakfast. I’m starving!” When Karkat nodded that he was, indeed, ready, John grabbed his hand and led him out of the door, barely allowing the other black-haired man to lock up behind himself. The Heir tugged his new friend along, walking quickly enough that Karkat, having shorter legs, struggled to not trip over himself in an effort to match stride.  
  
When they made it to the palace, John led them to the dining room where his family sat, waiting for them. Jake and Jane sat at the head with Jaye and Jade to the left of Jane, leaving two open spots for them to the right of Jake. The Heir tugged Karkat to those seats sitting him down and then taking his own seat and looking to his grandfather.  
  
“We’re here. Can we eat now?” he asked enthusiastically, stomach growling. Karkat sat there awkwardly, not entirely sure what to make of the situation.  
  
“Yes. We may eat now. We were just waiting on you two. First, however, your grandmother has her prayer to say.” He slid his green eyes over to the blues of his wife, taking her hand as she addressed the table.  
  
“I would just like to thank the gods for the bountiful breakfast we have before us and for the opportunity to live today. It is going to be a big day for the newest member to our table, and I pray everything goes well for him. He’ll need the patience to deal with my grandson for the whole day,” she chuckled, finishing her hopes and prayers for the day. “Karkat, if this makes you uncomfortable, I do apologize. I just like to give thanks for what we have every day. I know what it is like to not have all of this, so I don’t take it for granted,” she explained, looking at Karkat. The Blood wielder simply shook his head and held up his hands.  
  
“It’s no problem at all, Your Highness. Wait... you know what it’s like?” Jane chuckled as everyone started eating.  
  
“I do. I ran away from my Poppop a time or two while I was growing up. I had nothing while I was out of the palace and had to rely on others to help me. So I do understand. I’ve since come to accept my role and am grateful for what I have every day. I just like to give thanks for it every so often.” She gave the blacket a kind smile resulting in a blush from him and turning his head to his food, picking up his fork and taking a bite of his eggs. John took that opportunity to turn to him and engage him in conversation.  
  
“So, Karkat. Are you ready for today?” The other blacket’s brown eyes met beautiful blue in a look of disinterest.  
  
“Sure. I’m thrilled.” Sarcasm laced every word, but John either didn’t pick up on it or ignored is as he addressed Jade next.  
  
“Are you going to join us for Discipline Training, Jade? It’s been a while since you’ve done it. I want to make it a competition!” Jade laughed and pointed her fork at her brother.  
  
“You just want to show off for Karkat, don’t you? No, I won’t be joining you, John. I have my own training to do, and you know it,” she said, taking a bit and then directing her attention to the newest member of their table. “So, how do you like your dorm, Karkat? Isn’t it nice having space to yourself?”  
  
“It’s nice. I slept really well last night at least. Although, I was woken up way too early this morning by the most chipper asshole in the world,” he answered without thinking, covering his mouth as soon as the swears left it. However, no one other than John was paying attention to them. “Speaking of, John, you said there would be coffee?”  
  
“Oh yeah! Hold on, I’ll get it for you. Do you want sugar in it? If so, how much?” he asked, standing to go to the kitchen. Karkat looked uncomfortable that John was doing stuff for him, but answered regardless.  
  
“Um... 3 sugar cubes? Is that too much?” At home he’d never been allowed more than one, and it left his coffee, when he did have it, much too bitter for him still. John nodded his head and disappeared into the kitchen without acknowledging that Karkat had asked a question, returning moments later with a large mug of coffee. He set it down in front of the other blacket with a large smile on his face.  
  
“One coffee with three sugars. Enjoy!” he said as he took his seat again, Karkat grabbing the cup and raising it to his mouth. He blew on it a couple times and took a sip. Perfect. It was absolutely perfect. Three sugars too just enough of the edge off to make it bearable as a drink while keeping the coffee flavor. Karkat was in heaven. “I’m glad you like it, Karkat! Did you know that we get our coffee beans from the land to the west of us? It’s like, right there! We get them fresh almost every day!” John was very proud of his little factoid that he presented.  
  
“I didn’t know that, actually. That’s neat, I suppose.”  
  
“Did you also know that the capitol land changes as the heir to the throne grows?” Jade piped up. That perked Karkat’s interest.  
  
“Come again?”  
  
“Yeah! This used to be the Land of Crypts and Helium. It was a much darker land. And then, when John was born, it began molding as he grew. Eventually, Nanna and Grandpa decided on the name Wind and Shade for John’s first birthday! When John has a kid, the land will change names again as it molds to the new heir.” she explained. Karkat had never heard that before. He’d always thought the capital land was Wind and Shade. It made sense, however, to change and mold as a new wielder took the throne.  
  
“I had no idea the lands did that. That’s actually pretty cool,” he admitted, John smiling next to him.  
  
“That’s how they knew I was the Heir for the throne. The land didn’t change for Jade’s birth the year prior, but they changed for me.”  
  
“Wait a minute. Jade’s older than you?” Karkat found that hard to believe. Why would John be the heir if Jade was older?  
  
“Yeah, I am. By a year. John’s 20, and I’m 21.” Jade smiled and held up two fingers on her right hand and one on her left. John swallowed the last of his food and turned to Karkat.  
  
“Did you honestly think I was older? When Jade was telling the story of the land changing after I was born? Jeez, Karkat. You missed the obvious!” he teased, causing the Blood wielder to blush and slouch in his chair.  
  
“I just figured you were older because you’re the Heir.”  
  
“Nope! I wasn’t chosen to be the Heir based on age. It was all on power and what the land and the gods decided. Apparently, I’ll make a better ruler than Jade,” he shrugged along with his sister. Neither of them knew what the future held for them, but John’s was to be the next ruler. The Gods had decided it. “Anyway. Are you done? We should probably think about getting to training.” Before either of them could get up, Jake addressed them.  
  
“Karkat. When John is here for his training in royal decrees and how to rule, you’ll be working with me on your powers. So, I want you to meet me by the front doors after lunch. I’ll take you to our training spot from there.” The Blood wielder nodded his understanding. Jane spoke up next.  
  
“You’ll do fine, Karkat. I know you will. You’re destined for great things. If you have any trouble, don’t hesitate to speak up. Someone will help you through it.” She offered another one of her kind smiles. “Now, run along you two. You have a long day ahead of you.” With that, she dismissed them, and John grabbed Karkat’s hand, leading them toward the back of the palace and out the back door.  
  
They were met there by a burly man who wore a brown tunic and pants.  
  
“Good morning, Sage! Karkat, this is Sage, our Discipline Instructor. Sage, this is Karkat, the Blood wielder. He’s never done these tests before, so we’ll have to start at the beginning for a while,” John stated, secretly glad for Karkat being there. The first tests were so easy, he could do them with his eyes closed. It’d be an easy day for him!  
  
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Karkat. However, John, _Karkat_ will start at the beginning. You’ll be continuing where you left off. You can’t get out of it that easily, young Heir.” John brought up a hand and swung it down with a snap.  
  
“Drat! I was hoping today would be an easy day...”  
  
“Sorry, kiddo. Not on my watch.” Karkat looked back and forth between the two with a confused look.  
  
“Um... Nice to meet you, Sir. What is Discipline Training exactly? And why don’t we do it as soldiers?” The man started leading them to a large tent that had been pitched in a field just west of the palace. On the way, he explained.  
  
“Well, Discipline Training deals with the art of patience. It deals with complete muscle control and concentration on a task at hand. For your first round of tasks, we’ll simply be working on your concentration. I’ll have a series of puzzles that you’ll work on solving over the next week.” Karkat stared at him. Puzzles? What was he, 12? How would puzzles really equate to training? Maybe that day wouldn’t be terrible. They entered the tent, John immediately moving off to the side and starting a series of stretches. Karkat looked to Sage who directed him over to a set of complex looking physical puzzles.  
  
“Alright, Karkat. Here are the puzzles that you’ll be solving over the course of this week. Some are easier than others while others are relatively difficult. It’s up to you to decide which to go after first, and you _are_ allowed to switch puzzles if you get frustrated. What you are _not_ allowed to do, is throw them across the tent. Remember. This is an exercise in concentration and patience. You may begin, now.” After he’d given the instructions, Sage walked over to John who’d just finished stretching, leaving Karkat in front of all the puzzles. He decided to say fuck it and go with the square with multiple colors. It looked like he had to match the colors? Oh! It rotated multiple ways. Well, at least it was a starting point. He contented himself with trying to figure it out while John and Sage worked on muscle training.  
  
“Ready, John?” asked Sage, lowering himself into a defensive pose. John nodded and took an offensive one, looking for openings. In his test, he was supposed to take his combat training and slow it down, maintaining balance and strength of his hits. Sage would do the same with his blocking. The point was to train the muscles into the right positions to add to his strength instead of relying wholeheartedly on it. It was rough, having to go slow, but he was managing. It really took a lot of concentration to keep his body steady.  
  
An hour and a half later, John was sweating, and Karkat had almost broken the rule of not throwing the puzzles. He was _THIS CLOSE_ to chucking the multicolor cube halfway across the tent because he could only get one side to line up. He completely understood the point of the training now. He had to learn to step back and try different approaches, but damn if it wasn’t hard.  
  
“Whew! Wasn’t that intense, Karkat?” John asked, wiping his face with a towel and grabbing the puzzle out of his companion’s white-knuckled, angry hands.  
  
“Yeah. Sure. Intense. Now give me that fucker back so I can break it,” he grunted, glaring at the puzzle. John chuckled and set it down, grabbing Karkat and forcing him to stand.  
  
“Not now. Maybe once you solve it. For now though, we have to get to my Breath training. Jaymes doesn’t like it when I’m late. So we have to hurry. Come on!” He tugged the other out of the tent and made a break for the garden where his breath training took place.  
  
“John. You are late. You know what that means.” A thin, willowy man that looked like he’d be taken away by the wind stood in the center of the garden by a large tree. John hung his head, cheeks flushing slightly, and Karkat wondered why. Was he embarrassed? What for? He was just late.  
  
Next thing the Blood wielder knew, a large tornado was making its way to them, and John had shoved him out of the way just in time to be swallowed by it. Karkat watched in horror as the Heir spun around and around in the vortex and tried to bend the wind to his will. Eventually, he managed to break through it and touched down, breathing heavily.  
  
“Very good, John. You’re getting faster with that each time I do it.” John held up a hand as he breathed with his mouth closed, face looking a little green. Was he about to be sick, Karkat wondered. After a few moments, however, the young man stood up straight, face regaining some color as he walked over to the instructor.  
  
“I’m sorry, Jaymes. I did not mean to be late,” John started, but Karkat spoke up.  
  
“It was my fault, Sir. I was taking too long with a puzzle in the training prior to this. He tried to get me to hurry, and I wouldn’t. I apologize.” Karkat bowed to the other in hopes John wouldn’t get in anymore trouble. It _was_ his fault, after all.  
  
“It does not matter who is to blame. It only matters that you both were late,” Jaymes stated to Karkat before turning to John. “Do not expect today’s lessons to be easy. You shall review all you know to show Karkat your limitations before we begin with the hardest concept you’ve ever had to deal with – turning yourself into air.” The Blood wielder’s jaw dropped. Was that even _possible_? Could someone really turn themselves into air? He was so lost in thought, he almost missed the beginning of John’s demonstration.  
  
He made the wind pick up, swirl around Karkat. He showed off his ability to control the speed of the wind. The Breath wielder made himself float and fly. He created his own tornado that did no destruction. He battled with the wind, using it as a sword, as a hammer, as a whip. His skill was so fine tuned that he could slice a single leaf in half from up to 20 feet away. Karkat was impressed. Was there anything he couldn’t do? It honestly seemed more and more like he was the one who needed _John’s_ protection.  
  
“Very good, John. You have remembered everything and executed it well. Did you see all of that Karkat? Do you understand the limitations of his power?” Jaymes addressed the Blood wielder who stared at him.  
  
“I’m honestly confused as to why I need to guard him. He’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself. I’m the one who’d need protection as of right now...” he trailed off, hating to admit his own weaknesses. However, Jaymes smiled.  
  
“That’s a step in the right direction. Being able to admit to your own shortcomings is the first step in learning your own strengths. However, John needs someone by his side to help make him stronger. That is why you need to protect him. He needs someone to watch his back for him when he is using the wind. After all, she can’t be in two places at once when she is at his command.” The blacket’s mind was reeling with all of the information he’d just taken in – both physical and verbal. All he could do was nod as the instructor turned to John.  
  
“Now then, John, let us begin your newest task. Watch me first. Then, I will detail the process for it happening. You’ll start by turning another object to air first and reform it. Then, you will move on to yourself. I do not want you spliced due to inexperience,” he began, missing John’s look of horror as he closed his eyes and promptly disappeared from both their vision.  
  
“What the hell?” Karkat exclaimed, taking a step back in startlement. Even John’s jaw dropped as Jaymes reformed in the same spot.  
  
“It is a very complex concept to learn, John. It will take you probably a few weeks to properly learn it,” the man warned. John nodded stupidly, stepping forward as Jaymes began to show him the proper technique to making objects turn into the wind and how to make them reappear. Karkat stood by the entire lesson, watching with wide eyes, not believing it was really a thing he was watching.  
  
Two long hours later, it was finally time for lunch. Both boys were grateful, John’s stomach growling audibly as they walked to the palace.  
  
“Goooooods that was a rough lesson. Man, I didn’t make a single thing disappear the entire time,” John complained, Karkat walking beside him, also hungry.  
  
“Yeah. That was pretty lame.” John frowned at the Blood wielder and huffed as they walked into the palace and made their way to the dining room where Jake and Jade sat at the table, already eating and conversing.  
  
“Hey Jade, Grandpa. How are you two?” The two sat at the table, digging into their own plates, ravenously in John’s case. It was a slightly hefty lunch of steak, vegetables, fruit, and a large pitcher of ice water in the center of the table.  
  
Jake looked up from his conversation with his granddaughter to smile at the boys.  
  
“Hello there, you two. I am quite well. How’s the first day so far, young Mr. Vantas?” Karkat barely held back the shudder.  
  
“Please, sir. Call me Karkat. Mr. Vantas is my jackass of a father.”  
  
“Quite right. Do forgive me. Karkat, how’s your day going so far?” John and Jade were having their own conversation about John’s training to make things turn into the wind over John’s wind.  
  
“Well... the puzzles from the Discipline training were stupidly hard. I haven’t figured a single one of them out yet,” he admitted, deciding it best to just tell the truth. “And I found out it’s entirely possible to disappear into thin air. Literally. So that was baffling and confusing.” Jake let out a booming laugh.  
  
“Of course that’s possible! Anything is possible if one knows a method of achieving it. You just have to be Hopeful enough.” One of these days, Karkat was sure he’d get really tired of everyone playing on their aspects names. It was just a hunch, but seeing as he was already getting tired of them, it wouldn’t be long before they infuriated him.  
  
“So, Karkat, you have training with Grandpa next, right?” asked Jade, her and John finally done with their chat. Karkat looked to the man in question for confirmation, receiving a nod and looking back at Jade.  
  
“Yeah. Why?”  
  
“Just wondering. Grandpa’s a hard trainer. Just be aware of that.” The blacket gulped lightly as his eyes slid over to Jake, the elder man grinning with all his teeth showing.  
  
“I just push people to their limits. That’s all, really,” said Jake, trying to defend himself. “You’ll be in for a treat working with me. You’ll be a master of your powers in no time with me training you, sonny!”  
  
“Whereas I’ll be in stupid Royal lessons,” John grumbled, taking a big swig of his coffee after he polished off his food. Karkat stared at the clean plate with a baffled expression.  
  
“How the fuck did you eat so quickly?”  
  
“I was hungry,” was the simple response accompanied by a shrug of John’s shoulders. “You should finish up, though. I know Grandpa is eager to take you out to training. I have to get to my lessons, so I’ll leave you here. Grandpa, please take care of him!” With that, John stood and headed further into the palace, leaving Karkat with Jade and Jake. Jade, however, finished her own meal and stood.  
  
“I’m going to join John for once, Grandpa. Have fun with Karkat! Don’t jerk him around too much!” And then she was gone, using her Space powers to jump to the lesson room. And then there was just Karkat and Jake. Karkat made sure to quickly finish his meal and down his coffee seeing as the King was waiting on him.  
  
When he had finished, Jake addressed him jovially. “Done there, Chap? Ready to go?” The blacket nodded nervously and stood, following the Hope wielder out of the palace through the front this time. The elder man hummed as he walked, the sound being oddly comforting to Karkat for some reason. The two arrived at a nice, shaded spot in the garden on the east side of the palace where Jake took a seat on the ground and patted the spot next to him. Karkat sat down obediently, wondering why they were sitting.  
  
“Well, Karkat, welcome to your first day of training to be a Blood wielder. These lessons won’t be as easy as today, I will warn you. I will push you to your limits, both physically and mentally in order to help you learn to control your powers. Today, however, I figured I could start with a history lesson. How does that sound?” he asked, turning to the other at the end of his statement. The Blood wielder tilted his head a little in confusion.  
  
“History lesson?”  
  
“Yes. Speaking more on Silas and his life with us before and during the war.” A chance to learn more about Silas? Karkat would certainly take it. He nodded almost enthusiastically, eager to hear more. Jake smiled and settled to tell the story.  
  
“ _It began about 30 years ago. Your predecessor joined our ranks as a Blood wielder at 16, having already been experimenting with his powers and being the son of our most respected Space wielder, Rosa Maryam. He could summon shields at will and had started learning to morph his blood into blades. He was such a fast learner and was always experimenting when he wasn’t learning more about the war and trying his best to help with strategies.  
  
Over the next 4 years, he grew into his power, able to make anything he wanted out of his blood and even learned to separate only the iron out of it in order to make a pure metal blade or shield. And he found he could do that, not only with his blood, but with the blood of the fallen. It made his weaponry and shielding that much stronger.  
  
And he fought. He fought for us, for our ideals. However, he always started out talking to the enemy. He convinced a few even to come over to our side. But the Black Queen would have none of it. He was too great a negotiator. He had to go, according to her.  
  
So, after only a short 4 years with us, his life was taken by the Black Queen herself as an example not to mess with her. It was after that point that we retreated. We carried his body back and stood by in sorrow as we watched Rosa cry over her child._  
  
He’s buried here, right under that tree. It was his favorite spot. However, the point of that was to let you know that he took a while to fully master his ability, but when he did, not only could he draw upon his own blood, he could draw upon the blood of his enemies to enhance his weaponry and defenses,” the man explained, finishing his story to Karkat. Said blacket sat with a jaw agape. Would he be able to do that? Could he really do that? The Signless left big shoes to fill, and Karkat wasn’t sure he was the one to be able to do that.  
  
“Can I really learn all that in time for the end of the war to come?” he asked sincerely.  
  
“You’re darn tooting you can! With my help, you’ll be as great as Signless in no time! I sat through quite a lot of his lessons seeing as Blood wielders are so rare. I know how to help and to push you in the right direction. With my guidance, you’ll become a master within the year,” he proclaimed loudly. “But that’s all for now. Go ahead and take an hour break and head to the Training Building for Combat training.” Jake stood and offered a hand to the Blood wielder who took the help.  
  
“Thank you, Sir.”  
  
“Oh, please. Call me Grandpa as well. Far as I’m concerned, you’re part of the family now. Now go on. Get some rest because you’ll need your strength for combat training.” The elder man shooed Karkat off in the direction of his dorm, collapsing on his bed when he got there. The black-haired man pulled out his schedule to see how long of a break he got, being pleasantly surprised by an extra hour and a half down time he had. So he decided to spend it with a nap.  
  
When he woke up, he readjusted his clothing and set out to the Training Building, seeing the other new wielders in a group by the front door. Among the group was Sollux, the guy he’d really hit it off with the night before at dinner. He waved, and Sollux waved back and gestured for him to come over.  
  
“Hey, KK. Want to be my sparring partner? We’ve had an uneven number, and it’s been bugging the shit out of me,” he asked, already giving the other one of his classic, two-letter nicknames. Karkat was taken aback by it, though.  
  
“Really? Wait... ‘KK’? What the hell is that?”  
  
“It’s a nickname, dumbass. And yes, really. I like you. I think we could be good sparring partners. That, and I’m getting real sick of my brother macking on his new girlfriend during training.” The Doom wielder gestured to the two making out next to him. Karkat made a disgusted face and nodded.  
  
“I’m sorry. Yeah. I’ll be your partner. Let’s get in there and get warmed up.” So the two walked into the building, stopping by the changing rooms to pick up their water bottles and fill them up. When they entered the main portion of the building, Sollux led the way to their standard training area, and him and Karkat began their warm up stretches. After a good five minutes of stretching to get limbered up, the two faced each other.  
  
“Alright, KK. Let’s see what you’ve got. I’m sure they want to know where you are in the training anyway so you can stay in our group.” Sollux dropped into his offensive stance, arms raised, weight evenly distributed.  
  
“You’re on, fucker. I’ll take you down,” Karkat responded, dropping into his own offensive stance. The instant he did, however, he had to switch to defense as Sollux pushed off and attacked. A pulled punch was aimed at Karkat’s face which he blocked with his arm and threw a punch of his own, aiming for Sollux’s abdomen. The Doom wielder maneuvered out of the way, bringing his leg around to kick Karkat in the back. The Blood wielder ducked and kicked Sollux’s legs out from under him, downing him. Then, Karkat climbed on top of him and held an arm to his throat.  
  
“I think I win, asshole.” The blacket gave a smirk to the blond before gasping in pain as double fists hit his sides. He fell off the other, Sollux turning the tables on him as he clutched his sides.  
  
“Try again, cocky dickweed. I win.” It was Sollux’s turn to smirk as clapping sounded from behind them. Both men turned to look in the direction and saw John there clapping.  
  
“That was awesome, you two! Good job, Sollux. You’ve really caught on to the strategy of fighting. Karkat, you need to reign in your cockiness in the face of a potential win. If Sollux had been armed, you’d be dead. You didn’t take his arms into account when you pinned him,” the Heir explained as he walked over.  
  
“Sollux, you moved a little too fast in some instances because the delivery of the move was sloppy, and it screwed with your balance. I’m sure you noticed, though. Try to pull back a little in order to favor accuracy and precision. It’s not about the strength behind the moves. It’s about the delivery being where and when you want it.” Sollux nodded his head as Karkat stood, mind running a mile a minute. Was this really the same airhead he’d been with earlier? He was so serious and almost commanding. He obviously knew exactly what he was doing so why did he act like a doofus? It was infuriating. Karkat wanted to see more of _this_ John.  
  
“Karkat? Did you catch any of that?”  
  
“If you’re so good, why don’t you show us what _you_ can do?” Karkat spoke without thinking. Everyone around turned as they heard that, truly curious to see what John could do seeing as he never showed off. Said Breath wielder smiled at him and looked to be talking to himself.  
  
“Sure! Why not? Dad should be here shortly. Grandpa’s busy, or I’d have him come. Dad’s the only one who can match me other than him,” he said doing some warm-ups. Everyone started whispering and gathering around, word of the spar of the year spreading through the entire building.  
  
Karkat was astounded. No one had ever seen John in action before? In the entire building? What the hell was this doofus capable of?  
  
Within a few minutes, Jaye walked into the building, still in his royal attire from earlier on in the day.  
  
“You wanted me here, John?”  
  
“Hi, Dad! Yeah. These guys want to see what I’m capable of. Plus, I think it’s a good idea to show Karkat what I can do so he can learn how to cover me. Care to spar?” John asked, smile, as always, present. Jaye returned it and shirked off his jacket, leaving him in his slacks and a white button-down.  
  
“Of course. I’d be honored to, young Heir,” he teased, moving into position. “Any stipulations?”  
  
“No. No holding back, either. If it gets to it, I may pull out Bunny to show off that, too.” Jaye nodded in understanding, doing a few small stretches to get himself ready. Jade then walked up, having heard about the spar and stood between them.  
  
“I’ll officiate. Are you two ready?” Receiving nods from them both as they dropped into their stances, Jade held out a hand. “Alright. On my count. 3. 2. 1. Begin!” As soon as the Space wielder lifted her arm, father and son were on each other, throwing punches faster than most had seen. A few audibly hit as well.  
  
Karkat was mesmerized. It was like a dance. The two were moving in perfect synchronization with the other. Block. Dodge. Hit. Kick. It was beautiful and powerful. Until John hit the ground with his fist, missing Jaye, and the floor cracked. The Blood wielder’s eyes widened. Just how _strong_ was John? For that matter, how strong was his dad? How could they land hits and not be downed?  
  
John, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. He loved sparring with his dad and grandpa. It was a thrill. Even the pain from the hits was invigorating. He was able to really give it his all in these moments, and it was nice.  
  
Noting everyone’s dropped jaws, he moved into a position that his dad could see. He then took a brief moment to summon the Wind and direct it to the giant warhammer on the wall adjacent to their spar. It grabbed the weapon and brought it over to him, him gripping it and feeling the comfortable weight in his hand. He then watched as his father paused and walked over to the wall as well, grabbing two very long clubs that seemed to be made out of steel.  
  
“Ready, John? It’s been a while since we’ve used our weapons. Take it easy on your old man, will you?” Jaye joked, swinging around the clubs in his hands. John smirked.  
  
“Not a chance.” With that, he launched himself at his father and swung his hammer, the loud clang of metal on metal ringing in everyone’s ears as it met his dad’s clubs. With just that one swing, however, enough vibration went through his dad’s weapons to make his arms drop them, meaning John had won. He set his hammer down with an audible thud on the ground and offered a hand to his dad.  
  
“Great spar, Dad!” Jaye took the proffered hand and shook it with slightly shaking hands.  
  
“It really was. You’re a monster with Bunny, though. I forgot how heavy she was. I won’t underestimate her next time,” he laughed, gathering up his clubs and walking to put them away.  
  
Everyone in the building started whispering about the sheer strength of the Heir and that he not only had prowess with his Breath powers, but also in physical combat. Was there anything that boy couldn’t do?  
  
Karkat just stood to the side, mouth agape, watching the entire thing and wondering to himself.  
  
 _Am I really supposed to protect him when he can do that?_


End file.
